Life is Strange: Time and Space
by Marcus Redfeild
Summary: "The spirits are wise. They said there would be two figures of great power to rise on the nigh of the great storm. The renditions of hope and manipulators of 'Time and Space.'" But with what they'll have to face, they'll need all the help they can get... *AU *More Details Inside
1. Prologue

**A/N: Before you continue, I'd like to forewarn you that this story moves at a rather slow pace. Like, very slow. So, if you're someone who doesn't enjoy reading stuff like that then this fic may not be for you. With that in mind, I completely understand if you wanna click the back button and go read something else. But, if you're interested and still might be here? Please! *Opens door for you***

 **Thanks for stopping by to check this out, it means a lot to me :) I love Life is Strange—as I'm sure you all do as well—but I was very unhappy with how many things went unanswered; and the ending, while emotional, I thought it was a bit of a let down. So I decided I wanted to change some of that. Now, this is going to be an AU, mainly because I'm extending the doom clock to about a month rather than five days for Character development purposes. I'm also adding some things to the world and story, such as: New events in Arcadia Bay, some history of the town, new characters, etc. Some of the deleted content the developers cut from the game will also be added. Backstories for the characters we all know and love will be included too, as they will be playing much bigger roles here!**

 **I want to write the characters in the game as real as possible, so let me know if you have any complaints or anything. I really appreciate the feedback because it can help make this story much better :)**

 **Now, this first chapter is mainly just to introduce the OC's a little bit. We'll be diving into the Game's story around the next chapter. The POV's for the story will vary between 5 to 7 characters, and maybe 1 or 2 others that only get one chapter for plot purposes.**

 **Criticism is highly welcome (as long as it's constructive) as it can help me become a better writer :)**

 **I do apologize if the writing in this chapter feels a little strange (pun intended). It was my first time attempting to write in the third person, but I assure you, it will flow better in later chapters.**

 ***Disclaimer: I do not own Life is Strange or any of the characters/areas created within the game that are being used for this story.***

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy, and sorry for rambling on!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue

 **~Ethan~**

 _First day of school,_ Ethan Cole thought, _first day in the town_. He had just moved to Arcadia Bay from Florida the day before. He was exhausted from the trip and the time difference didn't make it any better. He would much rather wait a week to settle in before starting, but it's already October and his grandmother is convinced that he needs to catch up as soon as he can. _What kind of school was Blackwell going to be?_ He wondered. He checked the time on his phone, declaring that it was only an hour and a half before school was to start. He'd find out soon enough.

He walks over to his window and opens it, deciding it was a beautiful enough day to do so. The scent of the ocean air filled the room through the open window, combining it with the flowery/spice smell of the house. If only it looked as good as it smelled. Well, _his_ room anyway. Having just moved in, he hadn't had the chance to unpack everything, so boxes lie scattered over the floor. He could always rectify that once he gets back home. He leans against the window frame, taking in the sights of the small town.

The sun had always shined differently in Arcadia Bay. It was always brighter, in a washy sort of way. As if it illuminated the entire town to look like a dream sequence. The trees swayed with the calm wind and made noise as the leaves brushed against one another. That, coupled with the sound of the ocean, it almost seemed like he was listening to one of those audio tapes that help you go to sleep. That's one thing he enjoyed so far about Arcadia Bay: it seemed like nothing bad could ever happen here.

"Ethan, you ready to go?" His grandmother asks from outside his room.

This effectively breaks him from his trance and he closes the window. "Yeah, just about!" He replied. He grabs his bag and runs his fingers through his dark red hair before making his way out the door. When he steps out, he notices she's still in the bathroom putting on her make-up. "I'm ready," He calls out with an attempted smile. He didn't really want to go. He was dead tired, but as long as it made her happy, he would man up and push through it.

"Okay, just give me one second." She calls out from the bathroom.

Ethan leans on the counter noting the organization of the contents that laid on the top. She was always a clean freak, even when everything was spotless, there was never such a thing as _too_ clean. Some papers were spread out in a line and Ethan took a peak. One was a flier for an election, based on a man named Sean Prescott, who was apparently running for mayor according to this...The second was about an Animal care center his grandmother was opening up in a few days. She was very well known around here, living here for a good 20 years already and even owning her own flower shop. It's called "Joann's" after her name.

 _She is such a good person at heart, I mean, flowers and animals? If she opens a bakery next, Nana would wind up being the 'true Grandmother of Arcadia Bay'._

Just as he finishes this thought, she saunters out of the bathroom and over to him, "You said you wanted to go somewhere for breakfast, right?" he asked, spinning in place.

"Oh my goodness, you look so handsome!" she comments before kissing him on his cheek. This causes Ethan to blush. His grandmother was always the type to show much affection for the ones she cares about. She's the only one he allows for to do it in public, otherwise, he just gets annoyed or embarrassed. "You're going to attract a lot of attention at school, I can already tell."

He shrugs, he wasn't exactly a big fan of being noticed...Not for a long time, anyway. "Nana, I'd hate to be an ass, but are we...?"

She waves her hand, "Oh, quit your whining. Yes, we're going to a Diner that's pretty popular in town. It's called the Two Whales and it has the best omelets, coffee, and burgers in town!" Her enthusiasm forms a smile on Ethan's face, _she is so adorable._ "Now, let me just grab my keys, and we'll be on our way." She walks over to the kitchen counter where the keys are hung. Taking them in her hands they both walk out of the house together.

As they step out, Ethan feels that chilled autumn breeze pass through. He always liked the Fall season. Wasn't too cold or hot, but just to the point where you could feel comfortable outside. He makes his way over to the passenger seat while his grandmother takes the wheel. With the roar of the engine, they pull out of the driveway and make their way over to the Two Whales.

For a good majority of the ride, the car is silent. Ethan was just watching as the houses go by like counting cards in a deck. He found it fascinating how almost every house or establishment that they passed by, waved at them. Or more specifically: his grandma. Apparently, everyone in town goes to her to buy flowers and to get advice. She's just one of those people you could talk to about anything, a trait which carried to both him and his sister (at least that's what his friends had told him).

The ride continues and they eventually go past her shop, "Good to see the business is still going strong," Ethan commented breaking the silence.

A smile spreads from cheek to cheek, "Indeed it is, especially with all the events going on this month, this could be the most busy we've been all year! It also helps that there aren't that many flower shops in the area."

"And now you have the Animal center opening in a couple of days." Ethan added.

"Oh yes! Very exciting, isn't it?" She answers with a light in her eyes. "Still have to find someone to help me take care of them though."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Ethan gestures outside the window, "I'm sure there's plenty of people that'd be willing to help you out."

Her smile becomes a little crooked, "Yes, yes, there have been many candidates. Most of whom I'd be willing to hire for small jobs, but not as important as for what I'm looking for."

Ethan raises an eyebrow, confused, "Well, what exactly _are_ you looking for? I thought you just needed someone to manage the place."

She shakes her head, but still keeping her attention on the road, "Anyone can simply manage a shop—it's not a very difficult task to accomplish—but that's not all that I want from them." She explains, "What I'm looking for is a person who would actually care about these poor animals, enough that they'd be willing to do anything to keep them safe. To protect them."

Ethan snickers with a grin, "It sounds like you're trying to find someone who doesn't exist."

"Now what would give you that idea?"

"Well do you have a particular person in mind?"

She smiles lightly, "As a matter of fact, I do have _one_. Though most would disagree with my choice..."

Not that that's ever slowed her down. She's been doubted before in the past, and somehow she would consistently prove everyone wrong. From a long time ago, he knew better than to go against her, which was one of the things he admired about his grandmother. She was always right.

"That's never stopped you before, I'm sure you'll make the right decision." Ethan continues as he turns his head towards the glass, "I hope you get who you want."

She sighs, "Me too, dear..."

* * *

Nana puts the car on park and Ethan exits the vehicle. Once he does, he examines the area around him. They're in the parking lot of the Two Whales now which looked rather, uninviting...There were oil stains on the ground scattered through the parking lot and homeless people staying in other corners of the lot. He felt kind of bad for them, but they had to have done something to be in the situation they're in. Ethan believes that people have the right to make their own decisions, not by being forced through a belief system or by someone's intimidation. In that case, they would be getting manipulated into a decision, and it wouldn't really be _theirs_ now would it?

Nana beckons him to follow her to the entrance of the diner and he does so. They pass by a man with a mustache, gruff, and old looking. He was stationed at a table just outside the entrance, passing out fliers about saving the Arcadia Bay.

 _Strange...I didn't know something was wrong with the Bay._

Ethan picks up a flier and folds it into his pocket as they make their way inside the Two Whales. The first thing that hits him is the smell of bacon, tender, and crispy as it sizzles on the grill behind the counter. The sound of plates and utensils hitting together echoed in the small building, giving it a busy and comfortable feel to it. Next is the coffee, which gives him an extra boost of energy just thinking about it. This place seemed great from what he could tell. They weren't lacking in customers and the food already was making him salivate. Nana pulls his hand in order to get his attention.

"Smells pretty good, huh?" she asks with a sly grin.

"Are you kidding? It smells _amazing_!" Ethan admits, "but let's see what the taste is worth before making any conclusions." He was a bit of a critic when it came to things that he liked and food was definitely among them. "Any particular place you want to sit at?"

"I'd prefer a booth," she says, moving away from the door. Several people in the diner greet her as she takes a seat at the first available booth. Ethan takes the seat across from her and they both wait for the waitress to take their order. "You're gonna love Joyce, she is just an absolute sweetheart."

"Who's Joyce?"

"She's the waitress and also the cook." She leans in closer speaking at just a whisper, "She also has a beautiful daughter about your age."

Ethan rolls his eyes at this, "Thanks for the heads up, Nana. But I don't think I need any dating advice, alright?"

Her facial expression becomes slightly more sarcastic, "Oh yes, because you've done _so well_ in that department lately."

Ethan chuckles about to retort with something before the waitress shows up. _So this is Joyce, hmm?_ She had dark tinted golden hair and green eyes, along with the diner uniform. She had bags under her eyes, giving Ethan the impression that she must be tired. Well, if she was, she certainly didn't act like it.

"Good morning, Joann!" she greets enthusiastically before turning to Ethan, "my, my, who is this handsome young man?" Ethan couldn't help but be a little embarrassed. He always found it strange being told something like that. He never thought he was all that good looking, so when adults tell him he is, it makes him feel rather awkward.

"Good Morning!" His grandmother replies. "Joyce, this is my grandson, that I told you about." Joyce simply responds with an 'oh' before Joann continues, "He's going to be starting school at Blackwell today."

"No kidding?" she asks with a big smile, "I know a couple of people who study there, in fact, my husband even works there."

 _Damn, it's gonna be a whole party at Blackwell. Everyone is gonna know each other and I'm gonna be stuck by myself. The beauty of living in a small town I guess. Everybody knows everybody..._

"You're gonna like it there," she says, "It's a great school. Good teachers and a good environment. Only thing is, it's pretty much owned by the Prescott's, like just about everything in this town." She finishes with a chuckle.

"What's wrong with the Prescott's?" Ethan asks genuinely.

Her smile becomes crooked, "You _are_ new here. Sean Prescott is the main candidate running for mayor, now I'm not one to gossip, but they're pretty much just a power hungry family with a lot of money. I'll just leave it at that," she answers with a wink.

Ethan's grandmother speaks up next, "They're actually the main reason the fishes are dying in the Bay. It's on that pamphlet you got from old man Burt outside." Ethan makes a sound under his breath saying that he understands it now. He doesn't exactly, but he figured he would look into it a little later. "So, Joyce," Nana continues, "How is Chloe doing?"

She shrugs, "Same ole, same ole. Just trying to make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble, but at 19, there's no way I can even _try_ to control that girl."

"19, you said? Wow!" She looks at Ethan with an eyebrow raised. Ethan understands what she's trying to say which causes him to blush.

 _Jesus Christ, Nana, give me a break...!_

"Yeah, so what can I get you both today?" Joyce asked breaking away from the conversation. Ethan silently thanked her for doing so.

"Just get two of what I usually get, please. Oh, but with some milk on the side, I know he'll enjoy it." She orders with a delicate smile.

Joyce writes it down and goes off to put the order in. Ethan had to admit, he was enjoying this place so far. It's a rather comforting and homey type of place. The smell and the service is great, now it just leaves the taste test. _The most important one of all,_ he thought.

"Are you excited for your first day, Ethan?" His grandmother asked.

He gives her the best grin he could muster, "Yeah, I am. A little. I suppose I'm just anxious really."

"I would imagine so," she says, "but that's a good thing isn't it? A new life, a new home, a new beginning. I think that's exactly what you need, Ethan."

Ethan's expression darkens for a second before returning to normal. He shouldn't be down on his first day. Not here. Not with Nana. "I'm fine, Nana, really. And, you're right, this is a new start, I think it should be good for me too."

"Well, I'm glad you think so. It should be a lot easier on _both_ of us now that you won't be staying in a damn private school. Well, not _living_ there, anyway..." Blackwell was a boarding school, a very pricey one in fact. But because it's in the area, his grandmother had arranged a deal with the principle of Blackwell that he allow Ethan to transfer over without living on campus. So instead, he could stay living with her. Normally that wouldn't really work, but she's assisted the principle with some things in the past, apparently and she asked as a favor to her. Needless to say, he said he was very interested in meeting him.

"Yeah, you're right." Ethan says with a chuckle, "Thanks for all the help, by the way, Nana. I owe you, big time!"

"Oh, don't worry," she begins, "the day will come when you will have to return the favor." He nods with a smile causing her to smile as well, "It was my pleasure, sweetheart. But enough with all that," she says as Joyce rounds the corner with their orders on hand. "Let's dig in!"

The order was an omelet with tomatoes, cheese, spinach and steak bits, with a side of grapes and a cup of coffee with milk on the side.

 _It looks so freaking good..._ He had to stop himself from salivating all over it. He didn't realize just how hungry he was until he saw the food in front of him.

Ethan puts some of the milk with his coffee, he doesn't like it hot for fear that he'll burn his tongue. Once he put all the necessary condiments in, he takes a sip. The flurry of caffeine and sugar becomes evident instantly in his mouth, which he finds very nicely brewed. Then came down to the moment of truth. He cut off a piece of his omelet, making sure to get a fork full of all the layers, and then finally took his first bite.

...

 _Okay...Definitely one of the best places ever._

* * *

After breakfast was over, Nana gave Joyce a pretty decently sized tip, and they drove off to Blackwell. They spoke about how good the Diner was until they arrived at the campus drop off.

"Be sure to give me a call, once school is over." she says, "Oh and do try to make friends."

Ethan rolled his eyes and gave his grandmother a kiss on the cheek before stepping out of the car with his bag. As he sees the car drive off down the road, he sighs deeply and glances at the school sign.

 **Welcome to Blackwell Academy!  
Global Excellence in Arts and Science for over a hundred years and counting!  
** **October 7th, 2013.**

 _Jeez, talk about big headed...Okay. Here I go. I wonder what my first day is going to be like..._


	2. First Day of School

Chapter 1: 'First Day' of School

 **~Joann~**

Joann sighed as she left her gaze on the rear view mirror, observing Ethan as he stood on the sidewalk. After watching the car drive away for a little while, he walks up the steps and out of sight, leaving her with a slight frown. He could take care of himself, he was an adult now, technically. Even so, she worried about him. Even if he is 18, she'll always feel the need to protect him.

 _But he has his own path to walk. He won't get anywhere with me holding his hand..._

She was just about to leave the grounds of the campus before something catches her eye. An RV parked at the corner of the school parking lot. Judging from the design and seemingly weathered texture of the vehicle, she knew exactly who it belonged to. And as it turns out, it was _just_ the person she was looking for. She lightly pressed the brake pedal and slowed down to a steady speed before reaching the entrance of the parking lot. Finding a spot to park wasn't difficult since most of the students lived on campus, anyway.

The engine cuts to silent as she removes the keys from the ignition and exits the vehicle, the early morning chill causes her to shiver as she wraps her arms together and tenderly rubs them for warmth. It would get warmer later in the day, she knew that, but right now, the wind was blowing icily with the shining sun. After locking her car, she began making her way to the stationary mobile home. The parking lot was littered with trash, she had to stop herself from picking up just about everything. She caved, throwing away a few things in the recycle bin, but decided it would be best to leave the rest for the school staff. She had to get to work soon, after all.

The closer she got to the RV, the more she began to notice just how dirty it was. Joann cringed at the sight of it—she had half a mind to return home, grab her cleaning tools and wipe away all the grime that settled in to the exteriors. Once she arrived at the door, she knocked promptly three times, hearing the sound of a dog barking from inside.

 _Pompidou, no doubt._ She smiles at the thought.

A cool breeze hits her from the left side, allowing her to smell the maple trees erectly swaying outside the edges of the lot. She loved the scent, something that brought her back to her days as a child. It seemed like a million years ago that she was planting fruit in the orchard with her mother. The nostalgic memory was one of her happy places, but not as great as the moment she did the same with her _own_ little girl. Perhaps that's why she loved flowers so much.

A rustling is heard from inside, and then a groan. Blinds are bent down on the corner of the window and she waves to it with a smile. After a few more footsteps, the door unlocks and it swings open, "What do you want?"

Joann was appalled by his bluntness. He was wearing slightly torn blue jeans and a wife beater, with his usual scruff and messy dirty blonde hair. "Franklin! Is that any way to address a friend?"

"It is when they come knocking on my door this early in the day..." He groggily rubs his head, still trying to shake the sleep off.

"That may be how you treat your other friends, but not to _me_ , young man." She warned him in a calm and playful manner, "May I come in?"

She saw a flash of his eyes rolling before he shrugged, "Sorry, Jo. You can come in."

He moves to the side for her to enter. The smell had hit her instantly, like three day old Chinese food and spilled alcohol. She could see the many ashtray's scattered around the RV, for wherever he chooses to smoke, and the sight of other sharp objects mimicking needles suddenly made her uncomfortable.

"I can see that talk we had last week didn't help much for anything, did it?" She gestures to the air around the room, "And when was the last time you cleaned this place? It smells even worse than a garbage yard."

"It's hard to quit, Jo, you know that." He says, groaning as he closes the door and leans his back on it, "It's the only thing that helps me get through the day. Oh and sorry, again, I wasn't expecting company..."

Joann rolls her eyes, "That's what Pompidou's for! Excuses will get you no where, Frank. I've already said I can help you, but you have to be willing to make the attempt." She tilts her head as he lowers his own. She knew the real reason behind this 'self-destruction.' It was because of _her_... "I know you're still hurting about Rachel, and you're not the only one...but it's been months since we've last seen her. She will turn up eventually, but you need to move past this."

Frank was a drug dealer, though there weren't too many people who knew that for sure. Everyone just assumed it by the way he dressed and how he drove around everywhere in this rust bucket of a mobile home. While she doesn't agree with him doing it, she respects his decision to do so. If he wants to make a living that way, so be it. She can't stop him, though, not for lack of trying...This visit was yet another attempt to pull him away from this life. Joann knew more about him than any other person in Arcadia Bay, for she was the only one he felt he could confide in. The only one who wouldn't judge him for his decisions or motives. She was his friend.

He grimaced at the mention of her name, "Jo, can we _not_ today? Please? I'd just rather not talk about it right now..."

"As you wish." She replies. A patter of foot steps is heard in the other room, which a second later is met with a dog turning the corner of the bed room. Joann only gets a moment to crouch down and prepare herself as it comes charging towards her. She embraces the dog lightly as it showers her in kisses, "Ooooh, hey Pompidou! Did you miss me? Oh, you've been good haven't you?" He barks in response, " _You_ remember our last talk don't you?" He barks again, happily, "Well, it's good to know at least _one_ of you has been paying attention..." She shoots Frank a stare to which he just rolls his eyes with a barely noticeable smile. Joann continues to pet him and scratch behind his ear, "He looks good, healthy. It's great that you keep him fed and well nourished."

Frank steps down to their level and begins to pet him too, "Pomp's basically the only good thing in my life right now, I take care of him better than I do myself."

Joann turns to face him and she catches the glimmer in his eyes that she was looking for while he played with his dog. _He_ is the one she needs. She saw that now with absolute certainty. "Actually, that's what I came to talk to you about..."

He glances up at her, "What is it?"

She stands up, taking a more serious stance while he reciprocates, "I have a proposition for you."

"Alright, let's hear it..."

Reaching into her bag, she grabs the flier of her new business and presents it before him, "As you know, I'm opening an Animal care center soon and—to avoid beating around the bush—I'd like _you_ to help me manage it."

He scoffs observing the sheet of paper, "Are you serious?"

"Why would I lie to you about something like this?"

He shakes his head, "Jo, there are plenty of people more qualified than me. One's who would be more than happy to deal with the bullshit responsibilities of managing a store. No offense. I'm sorry, but it's just not my thing."

"And what is your _thing_?" She asks raising an eyebrow, "Selling drugs to idiotic teenagers looking for a quick fix?" He scowls at her, "Go ahead and frown all you want, but you know I'm right. You need to get out of this sort of business before you end up in more trouble than you deserve." She waves the flier in his face, "Here's your open door, Frank. Go through it."

He crosses his arms, thinking about it for a moment, "Why ask _me_ to do this, Jo?"

"For the exact same reason you just told me." She explains firmly, "You take better care of Pompidou than you do your own self. If I'm going to have someone managing my store while I'm somewhere else, I need to know that I have someone I trust that truly cares about the responsibilities of their job."

He leans back on his dirty bowl-covered counter, "I don't know...I mean, I appreciate the offer, I really do. But..."

Joann lets the silence linger a bit before smacking her lips together, "Well, I'll tell you what, The store opens in a few days. You know where to find me." She places the flier on the table, "Think about it and come back to me with an answer."

He nods while she pets Pompidou one last time and opens the door.

"I hope I see you soon, Franklin." She says finally before exiting back to her vehicle.

* * *

 **~Ethan~**

"Mr. Cole, it's very nice to finally meet you! I'm Principle Wells." He greets with a hand extended towards him. Ethan grips and respectfully returns it. "You're grandmother speaks very highly of you."

Ethan rubs the back of his neck, "Yeah, I bet she does. I mean I'm pretty sure she wouldn't say anything _bad_ about me. No disrespect, sir."

He chuckles at this. The principle was a large man, with an authoritative look about him. He seemed like a no-nonsense type of person with a smile that almost seemed...fake? But then again, he assumed that was something he had to do in order to get more students into the school. Gotta make it seem like it's all sugar and rainbows...Judging by the frown lines on the outer parts of his lips, you could tell he scowled a lot. The scrunch lines and folds on his forehead pretty much confirmed it after that.

"No, I suppose she wouldn't," He gestures to the seats in front of his desk, "Please. Have a seat." Ethan does so and slumps into the chair. It wasn't very comfortable, which seemed kind of strange. One would think for such a prestigious school, they could afford better guest chairs for the principle's office. "Now, let's see if I can't pull up your information right here..." He trails off at the end.

Ethan decides to take a gander around the room, seeing as how he has to wait anyway, may as well do something to occupy himself. He had always been known for being too curious. 'Always sticking his nose where it doesn't belong,' his mom used to say. But he couldn't help not knowing something. It's not like he planned to use the information on people, it's just that he liked to be in the know of things. Those who believe ignorance is bliss, he envied in a way. Because no matter what he does, not knowing something—especially when it involves himself—drives him insane.

The office appeared to be rather generic. There was a stuffed owl figure on the desk that kind of spiced the room up a bit, but other than that it was exactly what you would expect from a principle's office. Awards, scholarships, diplomas, and the sort lined up on the walls. Photos in holders on top of the bookcases and lots of file cabinets for the students of Blackwell. Why so many files though? There wasn't nearly that many students here, maybe only in the hundreds or so. For the most part, Principle Wells seemed rather boring.

There was _one_ thing that caught his eye...A missing persons poster for a 19 year old girl named Rachel Amber...5'5, weighed approximately 110 pounds. She had blonde hair and hazel colored eyes. She also had a tattoo of a dragon on her right calf and a star on the inside of her left wrist. She seemed beautiful and kind in the photo, _glowing_ even. Why would anyone want to hurt her? Could be she ran away, she _is_ a teenager after all. But for nearly six months?

"Who is she?" Ethan asked, pointing to the poster.

Principle Wells pulls away from the screen, "Oh. That's Rachel Amber, she was a student here at Blackwell several months ago."

"What happened to her?"

He picks up a poster with one of his hands, "She was the pinnacle of excellence here, top marks in all her classes and yet _equally_ as popular with her peers." His face darkens, "She was very well liked by everyone, but one day, she just disappeared without so much as a 'goodbye.' The police department had opened an investigation, but all the leads they had, came up with nothing." He clenches his teeth, "It's quite sad really, that someone with that much talent could be involved in such a terrible situation."

Ethan was getting more interested with every word, "Does _anybody_ know what happened to her?"

"There are several theories," he begins, "Most of them too far fetched to be true, but I suppose anything is possible. I don't know too many myself though, so if you're that interested, I'm sure the countless students still talking about it would be happy to fill you in." He was hoping he could get more out of him, but he guessed he'd have to talk to the students about it after all. Wells places the poster back down on his desk, "Someone keeps posting them around here on campus...It's unfortunate, yes, but there's nothing more we can do."

Ethan leaned back in his chair. The last thing he expected from coming here was to find a missing person's case. It seemed like _nothing_ happened in Oregon, yet here was a case that _no one_ had been able to crack. As cool as the situation was for him, he felt sorry for the victim. She doesn't look like she deserved it.

"Aha, here we are!" He states while hitting something on his keyboard. The printer begins to whirl as it generates a sheet of paper. "Here is your class schedule for the semester."

Quickly scanning it, Ethan saw that he had: English, Statistics, Science Lab, World History, and Language of Photography. It's strange that he would have a photography class, he was never one for taking pictures. Well, not being _in_ them, anyway. Just from that fact, he deemed it as the class he's going to find the most boring. Then again...it's _Language_ of Photography. It might be fun to learn about the history of Photography and the way it's translated. Maybe he'll even come to enjoy it. Either way, he gave the principle a confused look, "I don't mean to sound arrogant, sir, but why do I have Language of Photography?"

"Well, seeing as how you're joining us at almost the middle of the semester," he states, "There weren't too many classes available. But, Mr. Jefferson is always happy to take new students. I'm told his teaching ethic is very well received, and the students seem to love him." He pause before continuing, "I've always been a fan of art myself, if you couldn't tell," he points to the bird on the desk. Ethan mentally rolls his eyes but chuckles to not be rude. "Photography is another farm of art and humanity is the greatest canvass. You just have to know where to look..."

Ethan shakes his head, "Right...Well, I guess I'll take your word for it." He raises the sheet of paper with a smile, " _Or_ I'll find out soon enough."

Principle Wells smiles as well, "Indeed you will, Mr. Cole." He squints his eyes, "Though you _do_ know you don't have class today, right?"

His neck becomes crooked, "You mean, I didn't have to come to school today?"

"Not necessarily."

...

 _God Dammit Nana!_

"But it's good that you came though," he says, "It's a good opportunity for you to check out the academy."

Ethan was a bit frustrated now. He could have slept in after the long way here, unpacked everything and had his room finished and ready to go by nightfall. In the end, he decided it was better not to think about it...

"I suppose so." Ethan said quietly. "I won't get into any trouble for being outside of class?"

He shakes his head, "All of the faculty has been made aware of your presence, Ethan. As long as you give your name, you have nothing to worry about. Even your teachers are expecting to see you."

"So you're saying I can go visit my teachers in the middle of them teaching class?"

"No, no, no, no." he quickly dismissed, "In _between_ classes of course. They're all looking forward to meeting you."

Ethan cringes slightly at this, Do I _have_ to visit them today?" It's not that he didn't want to meet them, in fact, the earlier the better! But he didn't want to stand there in the middle of the doorway, waiting for the students to exit the classroom _just_ to introduce himself. It's very awkward...

Wells begins to adjust his tie, "Of course not! You're all adults here, Ethan. You'll be treated as such. I'm sure you can make the right decision."

 _Yeah, I get it, you think the right decision would be to introduce myself today. Just say it out loud why don't you? *sigh* Though, I guess it_ would _be a good idea...it's better than doing nothing._

"Thanks Principle Wells," Ethan says as he stands up and straps his bag onto his shoulder, "I appreciate all the information you've given me today."

This time, it's Ethan who offers the handshake, which Principle Wells takes gladly. "Before I forget!" He writes something down on a sticky note, "Here is the combination to your locker." Ethan takes it and puts it into his pocket, nodding as a thank you. "Tell your grandmother I said hello when you get the chance. If you have any more questions, don't hesitate to give me a call! And be sure to check out the bill boards around the school for any extra curricular activities you may be interested in." He pauses, "Oh, and Mr. Cole?"

Ethan is already at the door, about to leave before turning his head to the Principle one last time.

"Welcome to Blackwell."

* * *

Ethan yawned loudly while stretching out his limbs under the tree he was napping under. He was in the school courtyard, and several hours had passed since he left the office. The last class of the day ended in about ten minutes, so he decided to just make use of the beautiful day outside.

After leaving the principle's office, he went for a walk around the campus and explored a bit. The first thing he checked out was the football field, which for a small school, it was kind of shocking just how big it was. Same goes for the swimming pool. It seems like they'd have to have competitions here for it to be _that_ big. The next thing he visited was the dorm rooms, which he was only able to scope out from the outside and the courtyard really. He did see something interesting though. There was a man, a janitor maybe, feeding a bunch of squirrels. They were literally all over him, so he must be pretty well known for it. He appeared to be taking a break from painting the building as the scaffolding equipment was still there. Ethan was never great with animals, not like his sister anyway. She could make even Cujo turn on his back to play.

Some time had passed before the lunch bell rung. His lunch number came with his schedule, but he was still full from the breakfast he had earlier, so he decided to pass on the food. During the 1 hour lunch break, he sat by himself pretty much observing the other students. He started making mental notes to himself which person belonged to which group, as the cliques just sort of flocked together.

There was the skater kids, who were hanging out by the railings and even smoking a bit of weed. It was crazy what the kids could get away with here...Then there were the jocks, almost all of them were wearing a Letterman jacket, just like in the movies—which was absolutely frustrating. Then there were the stray away's, the category that _he_ would most likely fit into at this moment. One person was flying a HiFly drone, though he couldn't tell what model it was. Very cool! Another girl was sitting by herself at a table, looking like she hadn't slept properly in days. Though, judging by how some people were passing by her and laughing about something, he could guess that there was more to it than just lack of sleep. Ethan hated bullies and for good reason...

The one group that stuck out the most to him, was one called the Vortex Club. Apparently, the club consists of snotty, elitist, rich kids that have money coming out of their asses. There are fliers for the club pretty much everywhere around the school. It seemed too pretentious of a group for Ethan though, he wasn't really one to gloat about stuff. Unless he was trying to troll someone. Then it was just for fun. Just because he wouldn't join them, doesn't mean he wouldn't be friends with them though. His motto was: 'if you're cool with me, than I'll be cool with you.' However, it doesn't count when they aren't cool with someone he wants to protect. As a brother he wound up growing into that sort of quality.

He pulls out his phone to check the time.

 _Class ends in three minutes. I should get off my ass and head back inside..._

With this, he straps his bag on and heads for the front entrance. The walk takes longer than he anticipated, because as he steps inside, the bell rings. He sighs to himself, realizing that he's gonna have to get through the crowds of people trying to get out of the building. While he's here, he may as well try out his locker combo, right? He scans the set of lockers until his eyes rest upon one of the ones next to his Language of Photography teacher's class. Mr. Jefferson...if his memory served him. Stepping towards his locker he starts digging in his pocket for his locker combo.

After taking it out, he notices a black haired kid getting picked on by a couple of much bigger students. Should he do something? If he did, it would be like he's picking a side, so he could kiss his neutrality card in this school goodbye! But does that really matter? This kid is in trouble and no one around here seems to really give a shit. So he _had_ to do something! He takes one step toward him before someone bumps into him from behind and he gets pushed towards the lockers.

"Watch it!" the mystery man said.

 _Asshole..._

By the time he gets himself together the bully's were already gone and the poor kid looked sad as can be next to his locker.

 _If that guy hadn't bumped into me, I could have maybe drove them off or something. Or maybe I would have gotten my ass kicked...Whatever, I guess. Now, let's see i_ _f I can_ —

Something was wrong...The code was gone! He checked his pants and then the floor, but nothing came up.

 _Where could it be?_

Just as he thinks this, he manages to locate it. Only, it's stuck underneath some girl's shoe and she appears to be walking off with it...

 _Shit! She must have stepped on it by accident. I'd better go after her before she leaves._

He steps onto the trail behind her, trying to catch up with her, until she enters the place which no boys are ever allowed to enter: The Girls Bathroom.

 _Dammit! Of all the places she could go at this time, she decides to use the little girls room? *sigh* Well I have to go in right? I mean I_ need _that locker combo if I want to get into my locker. So yeah, perfectly good reasoning!_ He reaches for the doorknob for a second before putting his hand away. _Ooooh but it's wrong! I mean, I could get into trouble just being_ seen _in front of here. Fuck it. It's now or never, I'm sure she'll understand once I explain the situation to her._

With his mind fully made, he grips the doorknob once more and pulls it open.

His impression of what he thought a girls restroom would be like was definitely not matching the one he sees here. There was graffiti on the walls and the stalls, markings on the mirrors and black spots of dirt and rust in the corners of the room. Even the boys bathroom looks a hell of a lot cleaner than this...His eyes rest on the main center of the room, the reason he entered in the first place. The girl had brown hair that fell just above her shoulders with bangs covering her forehead. She has freckles on her face, and appeared to be a few inches shorter than him. She was wearing a pink shirt with the design of a deer and blue jeans, with a grey hoodie and a messenger bag. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about this girl that he found fascinating. He didn't know why, she seemed about as generic as they come. And yet, she had a sort of innocent beauty to her. From what he could tell, she was making weird faces in the mirror before he walked in. What a strange girl...

The door closes behind him, attracting her attention. Now, they were awkwardly staring at each other.

The girl seems to get nervous and takes a step back, "Umm...this is the _girls_ bathroom."

Ethan was speechless. He wanted to burst out into laughter just by the way she said it, but she has the wrong idea... "Oh, uh. *Ahem,* yeah, I know. I'm here on purpose."

Her eyes go wide and she takes another step back.

Now, he _definitely_ gave her the wrong idea! "Nononono!" He says with his hands raised, "I'm not here to do anything funny or whatever, honest!"

She relaxes slightly and then looks him up and down, analyzing him, "So what _are_ you in here for?"

He rubs the back of his neck as he tries to explain the situation, "Well, you see, I'm new here so I was just assigned a locker. When I was about to open it, some douche bumped into me and I dropped the combination." He waited to see if she would say something, but when she didn't he decided to wrap it up, "Long story short, I think you stepped on it on your way here..."

The girl seems to get embarrassed as a very noticeable blush colors her face and her eyes get wider than before. She lifts up her shoe and surely enough, there it was. "Oh crap, I'm so sorry!" she apologizes, peeling the note off of her shoe, "I had my headphones in so I didn't really realize." She hands it back to him, "Can you still read it?"

One glance and Ethan could tell the number was a lost cause. But he didn't want to tell her that, she felt bad enough already. "Yeah, no it's fine. I think I can guess those last few numbers...There's only like what, a million combinations?"

She laughs at his attempt to make light of the situation. She had a very warm smile, one of the most genuine he had seen. "Well, that's good to hear." Their attention is suddenly taken away when a glowing blue butterfly, absolutely mesmerizing, somehow flew in through the open window in the back. How did something like that just randomly pop up? It almost seems like it was planned..."Could you excuse me a moment?" She moves towards the butterfly before he even nods, taking out a Polaroid camera from her bag. This surprised Ethan, not many people would hold onto something like that. Usually teenagers nowadays prefer to use something more digital.

He takes one step after her before stepping on something on the ground. It was a Polaroid photo. It must belong to her, but why was it on the floor? Did she drop it on accident? He examined the picture closely. He'd be the first to admit he was no pro when it came to photos, but this seemed like it was really good. She wouldn't throw _this_ away, so maybe she _did_ just drop it.

 _If I give this back to her, than maybe it will make up for creeping her out earlier!_

With this in mind, he meets up with her in the back, just as the flash from her camera goes off and the picture gets generated. Another good shot! She looks back at him, almost as if she had forgotten he was there. Before he could say anything, they hear the door open and Ethan quickly jumps behind the corner with her. Whoever just walked in was definitely a guy. He was talking to himself, talking about how he owns this school and that if he wanted to, he could blow it up. Whoever this guys is, he seems really, unhinged...

"Who is that?" Ethan practically mouths the words.

The girl peeks the corner slowly, "That's Nathan Prescott." she replies in the same manner.

Prescott...Where had he heard that name before...Prescott! The family that Joyce and his grandmother mentioned this morning! _This_ was their son? The door opens again, this time it was a girl, and Nathan didn't seem too happy to see her. She checks a few stalls before fully conversing with him. Ethan's chest was pounding and by the looks of it so was camera girl's. The two spoke about business, drugs, money, and eventually, she tries to threaten him with blackmail. Nathan responds...violently.

The click of the action on a gun is heard by the two in hiding, who then look at each other with fear. "You don't know who the fuck I am or who you're messing around with!"

The two argue a bit more. The fear was evident in the girls voice as she tried speaking to him—the situation was clearly getting out of hand. Polaroid girl slowly peeks out to get a better view and Ethan grabs a hold of her arm, "Think before you—"

"Get that thing _away_ from me _psycho!_ " A gun shot rings out, shocking the air around the the entire bathroom.

"NO!" she screamed as she raised her hand.

"Wait!" Ethan said, still holding on to her.

* * *

Ethan's eyes blink open and he gasps for air as if it had been a bad dream. As he looks around his area, he was no longer in the back corner of the girls bathroom, he was back under the tree, where he had been napping before...

...

 _What the fuck just happened?_

* * *

 **A/N:** **So there you have it. Max rewinds just like she did in the game. But unlike everyone else who is oblivious to her powers, Ethan could remember everything. More will be explained on this later in the story, but for now, just enjoy the ride!**

 **On a side note, I know Max rips the photo in half in the game, but in real life, ripping a Polaroid photo is physically impossible...So instead she just sort of tosses it aside here, good? :3**

 **Anyway, leave your thoughts if you can! I'm kind of self-conscious about my writing, so if you know any tips that can help me make this story better, I would GREATLY appreciate it :)**

 **See you next time!**


	3. The Girl I Met in the Bathroom

Chapter 2: "The Girl I met in the Bathroom"

 **~Ethan~**

No matter how many times he ran through it, he couldn't wrap his head around it. What the fuck just happened? Why was he outside again? He was in the girls bathroom after following that girl who stepped on his locker combo, then things got a little heated  
/as that Prescott kid pulled out a gun. He still couldn't believe _that_ happened! Wasn't this school supposed to be prestigious and shit? Then that girl came in and the whole situation got out of hand. Nathan shot her...He killed the girl and  
/then, the camera girl reached out her hand...and...He was back here.

Maybe _she_ knows something? They were both in the same place, so maybe she remembers this too. Or maybe he was just going crazy...

 _Okay, Ethan. Think now. You're not crazy, you can't be. That seemed_ way _too real! All you gotta do is find some form of evidence. So let's see, what happened last time that I know I can see again? I didn't really pay much attention to things going on outside, so there's no way I'll find something out here. Maybe...Yeah, that kid back in the hallway that was getting bullied. That's my evidence! It's not much to go on, but it's better than nothing I suppose. Jeez...Maybe I_ am _going crazy._

Ethan gets up from his snooze spot, like last time, grabbing his stuff at the same time. He could feel his hand shaking as he made his way to the front door. His chest was throbbing and he began to hyperventilate so he grabbed on to the railing and quickly  
/tried to compose himself. He was freaking out. Who _wouldn't_ be in this situation? Everything happened so fast, somebody died in the same room as him not 5 minutes ago! It felt like he was having a panic attack. After slowly breathing and further  
/attempts to calm himself down, the throbbing in his chest eventually goes away, but he couldn't do anything to stop the shaking of his hand. Maybe he'll drink some water to calm his nerves.

As he makes his way again towards the door, he notices that the air around him starts to change. Things began to bend strangely with the environment and everything looked...hazy? He couldn't put his finger on it, but that wasn't the weirdest part. There  
/were people in the parking lot that were moving _backwards._ Like not turning around to move back or even looking behind them to make sure they don't trip. But actually moving backwards!

This day just gets weirder and weirder...

It wasn't just people though, the squirrels in the tree were doing the same thing. The trees are moving opposite to that of the wind and students that were drinking from a water fountain appeared to be spitting it back into the fountain.

 _What the fuck is going on?_

Everything goes back to normal just as quickly as it had changed. They all redid their actions as if nothing happened. It was disorienting for Ethan to watch all of it happen at once.

 _This all so strange...how is this happening? It all goes back to that girl I met in the bathroom, it_ has _too!_

At least, he hoped it did.

He shakes his head from the whole situation, and finally enters through the front door of the school.

Once the door closes behind him, Ethan pulls out his phone to check the time. When he entered last time, the bell had rung and the last class of the day ended. This time he had three minutes. So if this whole thing is real, then he just changed the timeline,  
/right? Nothing bad seems to have happened yet, so maybe nothing bad is _supposed_ to happen. Or maybe it's not enough of a difference. How about something smaller, like checking out his locker? He reaches into his pocket as he walked to his locker;  
/expecting to take out the combo, he feels some other things in there too.

He pulls the objects out: one of them was the locker combo, but the other two made his eyes go wide. There was no way he hallucinated it anymore, because he found his proof. The second object was the ruined version of his locker combo, and the third was  
/the picture of the girl from the bathroom, the one he had picked up from the floor. If it didn't happen, then why would he have these in his pocket? He had put them there before the whole ordeal happened. Though it raises the question: does that mean _she_ doesn't  
/have the picture anymore? The whole thing seemed bizarre to him and it was truly getting more difficult to understand. He sticks the picture back into his pocket, he would have to worry about it later.

Raising the locker combo to eye level, he attempts the combination listed on the sticky note and surely enough, the locker opens. It was fairly spacious and a little dusty, but nothing really special or out of the ordinary. So there, he changed history  
/yet again. Nothing has happened yet, so he had to assume that the whole thing about changing history was a bunch of malarkey. Though it may not have been too big of a change either...He needed to try something else.

The bell rings, pulling him away from his thoughts. The boy who was getting bullied... _That's_ something he could change! Ethan scanned the hallway like a hawk, searching for the boy until he spots him leaving the science lab. Turns out he's in  
/the same class with him...He mentally shrugs before walking up to him and notices the bullies coming down the hall. He wasn't sure what to say, but he had to get him out of here.

Ethan walks in step with him on his left. He puts one hand on his shoulder and the other extends towards him for a handshake, "Hi, I'm Ethan, nice to meet you."

The boy buckles back in surprise before fixing his glasses that were tipping to the side. Ethan was just now getting a good look at him. The boy was overweight, he had black hair that slicked towards the back of his neck, and he was wearing some kind  
/of tee with a big red and gray striped jacket. "Uh, hi, I'm Daniel. C-can I help you?" He also has a bit of a Spanish accent.

"Yes, you can actually," The bullies are still in his line of sight as Ethan moves with him towards the main hall, "I'm new to this school. I just transferred here, you see, and I was hoping maybe I could get some form of direction?"

He squints his eye, "What kind of direction do you mean?"

They get passed the two bullies without any trouble before reaching the door. "I don't know much about the people here so I mean, maybe I could get some info on which ones to avoid and stuff." Daniel nods his head in understanding. Ethan knows who's who  
/just by one glance, but he couldn't think of any other way to keep the conversation going.

"Well, first off, you might want to keep your distance from _those_ guys." He points to the bullies they had just successfully evaded, "You pretty much just saved me from a good amount of embarrassment for the day, so thanks a lot."

This surprised him, "Wait, you're telling me they bully you almost everyday?" He puts on a pout before slowly shaking his head, "So why don't you do anything about it?"

Daniel sighs, "Have you seen me? What can I do against someone like that?"

Ethan put a hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eye, "The thing most people don't know about bullies is that, they aren't really all that tough. It's an act they put on to make themselves feel better. You see, their mindset is: 'If they  
/don't feel good about themselves, then maybe if they laugh at someone _else_ who doesn't feel good, It'll make them feel more superior in a way. You get what I'm saying?"

"I...think so, but how does that help me?"

He smirks, "Just stop caring."

This puzzles him and so Ethan decides to elaborate, "The next time they try to insult you: call you a name, make fun of your outfit, or just _you_ in general; act like you don't care. Then they might not find it so fun to mess with you as much."

Daniel crosses his arms, "And if they try to beat me up?"

Ethan rubs his neck and smiles aloofly, "Call the police?" It takes Daniel a second before he bursts into laughter, "I mean we're all adults here, I don't see why you couldn't. It's either _that_ or you take a _stand_. I'll leave that for you  
/to decide, but _do_ think about what I told you. Okay?"

"You're really strange...Ethan?" He nods in response, "But you're also kind of cool." He waves his hand, "Well, I guess I'll see you around. I'll be outside for a little bit if you want to talk more. Thanks again."

Ethan playfully salutes Daniel as he exits the building. So there! He changed an occurrence in time, so Daniel never got bullied just now. If he could change that, then maybe there's a chance he could stop that girl from getting shot in the bathroom.  
/How would he go about doing it though? He could always tackle him down once he brings out the gun, but the distance between the back corner and the entrance wasn't exactly close, which leaves a lot of room for him to aim it at _him_ instead.  
/He'll just go with what's best in the spur of the moment.

He looks up in front of him and just as he does, he sees the girl he met in the bathroom step inside the restroom. That's his cue! He speed walks over to the girls bathroom like he did before and steps inside without any hesitation.

The force from the door opening was enough to get her attention this time, which makes him feel like he did something wrong. _Did_ she remember everything like he did? Perhaps he just made a terrible mistake...Just in case, he should probably go  
/for the same story as before.

Before he could even open his mouth to speak, she says, "I didn't step on your locker combo, did I?"

His eyes widen. She _does_ remember! An evil smirk spreads from cheek to cheek, "I wasn't going to ask you about my combination. But why would you think I was?"

She starts to blush a little and stutters, "O-o-oh...you _weren't_ going to ask me about your locker combo?"

He shakes his head, the smirk still plastered on his face, "Oh no. No, see, _I_ was going to ask you if you knew anything about the blue butterfly that's about tocome in." As if right on cue, they both turn to the open window where the butterfly  
/comes floating inside. She turns back to him with an incredulous look and he grins like an idiot.

"You can remember what happened?"

He nods his head more fiercely than intended. He was just excited that he knew he wasn't crazy anymore. This girl actually remembered everything like he did!

"Then you remember what happens next?" her voice gets a little louder every time she speaks.

"Yeah, I do." He points to the butterfly, "But first, you gotta take a picture of that butterfly, you weirdo."

She turns her head crookedly, "Weirdo?"

They move to the back where it had landed, "Who takes pictures of a butterfly in a bathroom? Weirdos. I mean, there _are_ butterflies _outside_ you know..."

She mumbles something under her breath before taking the picture. "I'm here to stop that girl from getting shot. How about you?"

He crosses his arms and leans against the wall on the back corner, "That's what I'm here for. Just gotta wait for his majesty to enter. Any ideas on how to stop it?"

As she puts the camera back in her bag, she looks to him and then directs her eyes towards what looks like a fire alarm system. "I'm thinking if we push that, it might surprise him enough for the girl to get away."

Ethan nods his head. That's actually not bad...This girl is smarter than he anticipated. "That's good thinking, helluva lot better than _my_ plan."

The door opens and the suspense begins again, just as it did last time. They both look to each other before she moves towards the fire alarm. Ethan whispers to her: 'I'll give you the signal.' to which she nods in response. The bathroom door opens yet  
/again, with the star of the show entering the stage. It's almost time...

Everything seems to play out the same way it did before. Once Nathan pulls out the gun, Ethan gets more nervous, thinking that the time to act is almost upon them. He looks to the girl he met here and raises his hand. She opens the glass, ready to sound  
/the alarm. After Nathan says something about people trying to control him, he slams his hand down against gravity, and the alarm starts to go off. They hear the girl call him a freak before the door opens once more. Taking a quick peek, Ethan sees  
/that the girl is gone and Nathan exits soon after.

 _Yeah! Kick ass! I can't believe that actually worked! We went back in time and saved that girl...That's just incredible!_

Ethan turns to his time partner with a big grin and she mimics it, "We just saved her!" She says, "I can't believe we did that."

"Neither can I," he admits.

 _This whole thing is still so bizarre, I mean we traveled back in time! That shit doesn't just happen in real life. Doesn't this kind of stuff only happen in movies? And what caused it anyway? Why can_ we _both remember all of this and nobody else? It just doesn't make any sense._

His attention returns to the girl he met in the bathroom, which suddenly makes him smile.

"What?" she asks.

"Well this whole time in my head, I've been calling you: _That girl I met in the bathroom_." Her mouth makes an 'O' shape before laughing, which is contagious since he starts laughing as well. With the alarm blaring through the school, their laughter  
/dies down and Ethan presents a handshake.

"Hi. I'm, Ethan Cole."

She graciously takes it and squeezes, "Nice to meet you. I'mMax Caulfield."

* * *

 **A/N:** **My apologies for this chapter being so short, it was just something that had to be done and I figured this was a good place to end it on. From this moment on, the chapters tend to be pretty long though, so yeah :)**

 **On another note, thank you all for the follows, favorites, and reviews! It really means a great deal to me and I love hearing from you guys! (^^)**

 **Anyway, I'll see you next week.**


	4. Ethan and Max

**A/N : T** **his chapter was a big challenge for me when I was first getting started on this, so I apologize if some of the lines seem...awkward? I promise you, they do get better in later chapters.**

 **Anywho, please enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 3: Ethan and Max

 **~Maxine~**

"Why do I feel like we just made the wrong decision?" Max says as she and Ethan descend the steps in front of the building.

They were exiting the school now. After they had introduced themselves, they thought it best if they left the restroom before getting caught. Since they were the only ones left inside, they didn't want to think they were trying to do anything...hinky? She couldn't think of the right word for it. Unfortunately, their escape plan failed as the infamous Mr. Madsen caught them as soon as they had one foot out the door. Mr. Madsen was the security guard here at Blackwell. He fashions a caterpillar mustache with a slight 5 o' clock shadow and of course, the school security uniform. He was practically a Nazi, always jumping down people's throat for no reason, and suspicious as all hell.

Ethan seemed to be quick on his feet, 'cause after he questioned what they were doing, he spun a story about his locker combo getting stuck on her shoe and that got them off the hook. At least, it was a story in _this_ timeline. Or is it the same thing? Max was still unsure about all of this. The fact that she can rewind time is crazy enough, but to actually involve things like different timelines? Too soon to tell...Unfortunately, the interrogations didn't end there.

Once the 'Blackwell Ranger' was somewhat satisfied, the principal, who also saw the whole thing, called them over. Principle Wells seemed more concerned about Ethan, but that didn't surprise her. She always felt like he didn't like her very much. He treats everyone with a smile, _but_ her. It's like he always assumes she's up to no good, but then when it comes to photography, he's all: 'Remember what got you this far!' The only time he was actually nice to her, in fact, was during the interview for her to get into Blackwell. He sure can put on an act...

Ethan told him the same story as he did with Mr. Madsen and then he asked if they knew anything about the fire alarm going off. Max wanted to tell him about Nathan having a gun, but Ethan stopped her before she could say anything. Instead, he told him that they didn't know a thing about it and that they were leaving the premises. So with that, they exited the building and were now stepping onto the courtyard.

"You worry too much," he says casually.

She stands next to him and turns to face him, "But Nathan had a _gun_ ," Ethan's eyes go wide, flinching from the word even being spoken. "He's dangerous. He actually _shot_ someone. We should have said something..."

He brings her closer and shakes his head, "You know what? You're right. Let's tell everyone. As a matter of fact, let's scream it at the top of our lungs for the whole world to hear!"

This sarcasm thing was starting to get on her nerves, or maybe she was just getting frustrated. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Walking around and telling people that Nathan has a gun would make them start to panic. And when people start to panic, chaos ensues." He sighs, "Nathan Prescott belongs to a very powerful family. One that owns a good chunk of the property here in Arcadia Bay." He shakes his head before continuing, "You don't want to make enemies with people like that."

Max rolls her eyes at him, "Now who worries too much?" She knew where he was coming from. The Prescott's practically own the school, so if she were to do something to him, it could possibly jeopardize her scholarship. But she hated rolling over to someone. Nathan Prescott is dangerous. After today, it was clear that he had major psychological issues.

Ethan mumbles something before speaking out loud, "So you wanna sit down somewhere and have an actual talk about more important things? Like...Time Travel?" He says that last bit with a goofy facial expression.

She couldn't help but laugh, he was pretty good at it. "Sure, but I'm not exactly sure where we could to be honest..."

As Max takes a moment to examine the courtyard, she realizes just how packed it was. Almost all the benches were occupied by friends conversing with one another, though she didn't know most of them. She hadn't really spoken to too many people since she arrived here at Blackwell, she was still trying to remember the names of the girls that live in her dorm. More often than not, she kept to herself, and no one really bothered her. Except for a couple of stuck up bitches that get a fix out of giving others trouble. There were some students that she liked. Like Kate, Alyssa, and Warren. Even then, she didn't really speak to them as much as she could.

There's a small group of Vortex club members laying on the grass by the tree. She couldn't tell exactly who they were, but she could see at least one of them was Hayden Jones. Since she arrived at Blackwell she decided she didn't like the Vortex Club much. The people had their heads up their asses most of the time, thinking they're better than everyone else. But some of the members, like Hayden or Dana, didn't discriminate. He was always a very chill person— _too_ chill even, but, that's Hayden for ya.

To the side, Brooke was flying her drone that she's been working on. Max doesn't know much about it, but she always found it fascinating to watch it in action. At the end of the courtyard, all the skater kids were hanging out by the steps. Doing tricks on the rails and kick flips or whatever. She's not sure what the proper terms for it are, but she enjoyed watching them do it. She really likes skater boys...It's a shame they don't like her, though.

Ethan makes a suggestion which pulls her out of her thoughts, "The tree I was napping at still seems to be open." He points to it, "It's covered with some shade and the grass is pretty soft."

She giggles, "You were sleeping under a tree?"

"Uhm. Why? What's wrong with that?"

"Oh nothing..." she says while releasing a breath.

 _Yeah, and then I'm the one he calls a weirdo._ He's _the weirdo. Who sleeps under a tree?_

Max moves over to the direction he pointed at with Ethan following close behind her.

 _Maybe he should lead the way. It feels like he's been following me ever since we met...Which, I suppose is true now that I think about it..._

It doesn't matter, once they've reached the tree, they throw their bags on the floor and sit with their back against it. A wind passes by, making her short hair flow in the opposite direction. She relishes the moment as the breeze slightly kisses her cheeks and the autumn air overtakes her senses. She loved the Fall. It was always the perfect temperature outside and spooky themes with advertising. And maybe she was getting too old for it, but she loved Halloween! When Max was a child she and Chloe would almost always dress up like pirates, talking about their dreams to one day take Arcadia Bay by storm.

Max's expression saddens at the thought. It's meant to be a happy memory, but she hasn't seen Chloe in five years, despite them being in the same town again. 5 years ago, she left for Seattle with her parents and just sort of lost touch with her. She can't remember the reason why now, but that doesn't really matter. She came back to Arcadia Bay to study photography here at Blackwell on a full scholarship. It was an offer she just couldn't pass up, especially since the one teaching photography here is, Mark Jefferson. The other reason she came back though, was to see if she could patch things up with her. No one was ever as close to her as Chloe was, but she felt nervous and awkward just popping up out of nowhere after 5 years without so much as a letter.

Maybe one day...

She let's her eyes wander until landing on her new friend. Ethan Cole. The boy who traveled back in time like she did. She's yet to decide what she really thinks of him, but as far as first impressions go, he seemed like a nice guy. It was only now that she gets a full view of what he looked like. Everything in the bathroom happened so fast, it never really registered to her that he had red hair. It glows with the sun and matches the red sweater he's wearing on top of his blue jeans. His eyes are a light green color, which he closes as he takes in the autumn draft like she did before. He seems at peace, innocent, and without a care in the world. It was nice to watch.

"So what do you know about all of this?" Ethan asks. He opens his eyes and looks at her.

She looks down at her right palm, "I'm not sure to be honest. It was just something that sorta happened."

He fiddles a bit with his fingers, "So you didn't have like some kind of epiphany, or a sign about it? Maybe, you saw a vision in the fire?"

Ethan chuckles to himself after making that Game of Thrones reference, which she smiles about too. Though it does stir some thoughts...A vision? Like the tornado heading towards Arcadia Bay? Before she stepped on his locker ticket earlier, she had a vision or a dream really, in class. She was at a lighthouse and when she reached the top, she witnessed an enormous tornado making its way towards the town. A piece of debris hit the lighthouse and fell on her before she woke up. She's pretty sure it was just a dream, but could it somehow be related to her powers? Maybe it's better not to worry about it now...

"Nope." She lies, "When we were in the bathroom and the gun went off, it just sorta happened..."

He puts one leg on top of the other and positions his hand as if it were a balance, "No hope in getting an explanation then..." He trails off for a second before asking something else, "Then, how do you do it? Rewind time, I mean."

"Well, all I do is raise my right hand, focus a little, and then time rewinds." She wasn't sure how to describe it as she was still trying to understand it herself.

He rubs his chin, "Interesting...Can you do it anytime you want?"

"I-I think so."

"Okay, show me."

She takes a deep breath, getting nervous all of a sudden. It felt like she was getting tested. She raises her right hand and everything begins to go gray as the shapes of reality bend differently and people start to move backwards. She holds it for about ten seconds before her head starts to hurt and her vision goes dark a little, almost like getting a head rush. Dropping her hand, reality goes back to normal.

Ethan drops his hands on his laps, "Dude, that's so fucking cool! You actually rewinded time! I wonder if I could do that?"

The way he was reacting to it all made her smile, "You should be able to right? Since you went back as well?"

He nods his head and raises his right hand. Judging by the look on his face, Max could tell he was trying his best to focus.

After ten seconds of nothing, he releases a frustrated sigh, "Dammit, it's not working..." He looks to his other hand, "Maybe it's a different hand?"

"If mine is on my right, then why wouldn't yours be too?"

He shrugs as he raises his left hand, "I don't know...But maybe it's something like Spider-Man and Venom. Like how they shoot their webs differently and stuff?"

Max raises her eyebrow. "You read comic books?" He nods his head clearly still trying to focus, "I'm sorry but you don't really look like the type. I would have pegged you as a gamer sort."

He speaks to her as if still trying to focus and not be rude, "How intuitive of you...I'm both. I also love movies, T.V. shows, that sort of entertainment in general, really."

Ethan seems kind of like Warren in that aspect, but not exactly. Warren tends to go a little crazy about it, but, maybe he does too and he's just too busy to do it right now.

Releasing another frustrated sigh, Ethan pouts a little, "Dammit, it's just not working. Am I doing something wrong?"

She shakes her head, "Not from what I'm seeing."

His voice lowers disappointingly, "Guess you're the only one who can rewind time, then."

"I guess so..."

 _I kind of feel bad now. He seemed so excited about being able to do it._

"Oh well. At least I can move around freely when you rewind." He says with a smile perched on his face.

Now that she thought about it, she couldn't move when she rewinds, "I guess that's _your_ thing then. Because when I'm rewinding, _I_ can't move. It's as if my feet are planted into the ground."

He makes an "o" shape with his mouth, "Shit, that's pretty cool. We can literally control time and space, you realize that?" Grinning he presents a fist to her, "Fist bump?"

She laughs and returns it. As their fists connect, the two are startled when a bit of electricity surges between them.

Max brings her fist back, trying to think about what just happened, "Did you feel that? It was kind of like static electricity...only..."

"Way more intense." He finishes for her. "This day is just too fucking weird..."

Tell me about it. This felt much stronger than just static electricity and she felt it course through her entire arm. That definitely wasn't something normal...

He turns to her shaking his hand, "Well, it doesn't look like we'll be finding out more on this little power of ours anytime soon. But seeing as how we're stuck with each other, I think it's important for us to get to know one another. So how about we play a game?"

She tilts her head, "What kind of game?"

He adjusts himself so that he's facing her a little more, "Well it's not something that you could win or something. It's just an introduction game. We each ask a question about each other, and we have to respond truthfully. But, you can be as vague as you want with the answer. My sister taught it to me."

Max liked this idea. It could make for some good conversation, and it's not like she has anything better to do. She nods her head, "Okay, I'm down."

He grins in response, "Awesome! I'll go first," he clears his throat, "My little sister taught me this game."

She rolls her eyes, " _That's_ what your starting out with?"

"Is _that_ the question you want to ask me?"

She groans before smiling, "How long have you been in Arcadia Bay?"

"Roughly two days. My grandmother wanted me to live with her."

"So you came with your sister?"

"No. She stayed behind with my mom."

"How come?"

He squints his eye with a smirk, "That's three questions for me."

He is totally trying to change the subject! But he's right, a game deal is a game deal. "Ask away."

"Why are you here at Blackwell?"

"I'm mainly here to study photography from Mr. Jefferson. He was a big photographer a little while back."

"Oh okay, very intriguing." He rubs his chin while he says that which causes her to laugh, "How long have you lived in Arcadia Bay?"

"My whole life, until 5 years ago. I moved to Seattle with my parents, and then moved back here to study at Blackwell."

"Hmm." He pauses thinking for a moment, "Do you have any siblings?"

She shakes her head, "Nope. I'm the one and only disciple of the Caulfield clan."

He scoffs and shakes his head, "I guess I know for sure that you're a nerd now. Only a nerd would say they're part of a clan."

"Did my asking you if you read comic books not drop the hint?"

"It was dropped, I'm only saying that this confirms it."

They both laugh before Max speaks up again, "So it's my turn now, right?"

He nods, "Yes, mam."

"Great." she comments, "Keeping on the topic of nerdiness, are you a DC or Marvel fan?"

"Oh, DC. The writers for almost every series practically steals the show in storytelling."

Before Max can reply, a shadow suddenly springs up next to them. She looks up and sees that it's Daniel, only she's not the one to greet him first.

"Hey, Daniel." Ethan says, "What's going on?" Max waves at him, suddenly feeling shy again.

 _Why am I feeling shy all of a sudden? No, better question: Why don't I feel shy around_ him _? I only just met the dude! It could be because of the time thing...I think._

"Hi, guys." Daniel greets, "I wanted to know if I could ask for a favor?"

"Sure, Daniel. How can we help?" Max asks.

He brings out his sketchbook and pencil. Max had always seen him doodle in class and some of the sketches that he's posted on Facebook. They were always really good! "I was wondering if, maybe, I could sketch you guys?"

Ethan's head becomes crooked and Max's face lights up, "Seriously? Daniel, I'd be honored! Your sketches are wicked cool!"

"Why us, though?" Ethan asks. Max wants to hit him right now for trying to spoil the opportunity. "Don't get me wrong, I don't mind, I suppose. I'm just curious."

He clears his throat, "Well, I was sitting right over there, when I saw you guys: laughing and talking. It sort of...sparked something in me...If that makes any sense?" He waves his hand around, "I'd like for you guys to be my muse for the day."

"Okay," Max says before Ethan could even try to object, "How do you want us to position ourselves?"

"Just as you were before is fine."

As the two adjust themselves to get ready for the sketch, Ethan speaks up, "Wait. 'Muse for the day?' Who is it usually?"

Daniel turns to a blank page, "Well for a long time, no one. But before that, it was Rachel Amber." He looks up to the sky, thinking, "She had a rare beauty that most everyone lacked, and she _loved_ to model." He turns the sketchbook to them and shows off some of the sketches of her. "She was always nice to me...I wish I knew if she was okay or not, but nobody really knows what happened to her."

Rachel Amber...Her posters were everywhere around the school. Almost everyone knew her or knew of her here at Blackwell. It's a shame Max only got here after she disappeared, she would have liked to have met her. Ethan looked like he was deep in thought, but about what?

"Okay, stay just like that." Daniel instructs them.

And stay like that they did. The two sat in silence as Daniel worked. In the meantime, Max just listened to the universe talk. The trees blowing against the wind and the sunlight peeking through the empty spaces between the leaves on the tree. It was a peaceful moment that she cherished, especially after a day like today. She still couldn't believe it. Everything that happened just seems so unreal, like out of a movie or something. So why was any of this happening? To _her_? There _has_ to be a reason, and she _has_ to find out why. She knows it's a question she may never actually find the answer to, but it's still something for her to think about.

A few more minutes pass until Daniel finally says the magic word, "Done."

Max leans forward, "Can I see it?"

He nods before spinning the sketchbook around. "You guys look good together."

The sketch was magnificent. It captured almost every detail about the area around them and themselves. Even Ethan expressed his amusement.

"Daniel, this is incredible!" Max exclaims, "You should be proud."

"Thanks," He says blushing slightly, "I'm definitely going to post this one. But I'm just going to take a picture of it." He takes out his phone and snaps a shot of the sketch. Once he does that, he rips it clean out of his book, "But I think I'm going to give this one to you, Ethan."

Ethan looked perplexed, "Me? Thanks, but...why?"

He hands it to him and grabs his bag, "Think of it as a thank you for helping me earlier. And as a token of our friendship."

Ethan helped him? Helped him with what exactly?

The two get up from the spot they have been sitting at for the past half hour and Max feels her pants vibrate. Ethan says something to Daniel as he mentions to check out the post later on Facebook. After that, he leaves and waves bye to the both of them. Meanwhile, Max takes out her phone, and reads that she got one message.

 _It's from Warren._

She clicks it open.

 _-Hi Mx, can you get my flash drive? I need some info. And space._

 _-Hullo?_

 _ **-Srry. Insane day. I'll go get it.**_

 _-I'll meet you in the lot. Looking cool. You'll see._

 _ **-My camera will be ready. See you shortly.**_

 _-I hope so._

"Everything good?" Ethan asks her. "You seem like you got some kind of assignment due or something."

She presses her lips together into a line, "Umm, something like that. I have to get my friends flash drive from my room."

"Oooh, say no more. We're rolling out!" He says in his best Optimus Prime impression. He picks up their bags and hands her hers, "Lead the way."

"Okay..."

Jeez, he and Warren are definitely going to hit it off...

* * *

The flash from the Polaroid camera goes off as Max takes the photo and starts to shake it. She's glad she was able to take a picture of that cute squirrel. As she places it in a pouch in her bag, Ethan decides to make his presence known again.

"So I have a question now." He states.

"Oh is the game still going on?"

He puts his hands on his waist, "Of course, the game goes on for as long as we're friends."

She chuckles, "Alright then. Whats the question?"

"You're interested in photography, I get that. You want to major in it and be a big star known for your art in photos. But answer me this..." He wave his hand, "Why use a Polaroid camera? Why not use something a little more...of this era?"

Her hand instinctively goes to her camera. She got asked this question multiple time since showing up here, needless to say she was getting a little annoyed of it. "I enjoy the simplicity of it, and my parents got me into them at an early age so I guess it just stuck with me." She shows him the photo she had just taken, "It also helps that the photo comes out instantly as well. So you don't need to wait for them to be developed."

He nods in response, "Good answer, Maxwell."

"That's a guys name..." She commented.

"'Max' is _also_ a guys name. Unless it's short for something else?"

She stays quiet. From what she's noticed about him already, he likes to make jokes. If he were to find out her name is short for Maxine, she'd never hear the end of it. "Nope. Just Max, and it totally works for both genders."

"I suppose it does..." He says with an exhausted sigh. "So what are we waiting for, let's go get that flash drive."

That was the plan, only there seems to be something in the way, or _someone_ to be more specific. Victoria Chase. The Queen bitch of Blackwell. She's a member of the Vortex club, and despite some of the pictures that she takes and presents in Mr. Jefferson's class, they don't match her personality at all. Max couldn't understand why she was so mean to most everyone. As if she had something to prove. She already has just about everything she needs and then some, so why would she still want that kind of image on herself? There's no way to go around her, so Max'll just have to get through.

"You stay here for a second." Max tells Ethan.

"What? Why?"

"You're new here, so you don't know Victoria Chase. And believe me, that's exactly the way you want to leave it." She explains. If he somehow says the wrong thing, he could end up on Victoria's shit list, which Max would like to avoid for him.

Ethan peeks over her shoulder. "Is she the hot blonde? Short hair, between the other two?"

Max cringes slightly at this. He openly expresses his thoughts, at least. "Urh, yeah. That's her, the one in the center."

He must have noticed her cringe as he chuckles to himself, "Sorry. I like a girl with short hair."

"Yeah, yeah. So can you stay here?" She asks impatiently.

He shrugs with his shoulders, "If you say so..." He goes and grabs a seat at a bench leaving her to deal with Victoria.

Okay Max, you can do this. Just kindly try to walk past them and into the Dorm. That's it, that's all you have to do.

As she gets closer, Victoria addresses her, "Oh look, it's Max Caulfield, the selfie ho of Blackwell."

Max was known for taking selfies with her Polaroid Camera. But today, Mr. Jefferson caught her taking one during the lecture and brought it to the attention of the whole class. After giving a bit of information about the history of selfies (or 'self-portraits'), he asked her a question she didn't know the answer to. So Victoria answered instead. That is, until she used her rewind to steal Victoria's answer. She didn't want to give her the satisfaction. It appears she's still hung up on that...

She gets up from the stairs and goes up to her face, "Such a lame gimmick. Even Mark—Mr. Jefferson—falls for your waif hipster bullshit." She circles around her, stopping until she is in front of her again, "'The Daguerreian Process, Sir!' You could barely even say that." Max starts to touch her arm nervously, not sure of what to do. "I guess you got your meds filled..." Her friends start to laugh at the crude joke.

"Could I please pass through?" she asks simply and quietly.

Victoria sits back down on the steps, "If you want to get in that badly, I guess you'll have to find another way into the dorm." Max looks down, unsure of what to do. "Oh wait, hold that pose!" She takes out her phone and takes a quick picture of Max who rolls her eyes. "How original. Don't worry, Max, I'll be sure to put a vintage filter on it before I post it all over social medias. Now, why don't you go fuck your selfie?"

Victoria and her friends are cackling as Max turns around. She tried to be nice, but it's time someone teaches Victoria a lesson.

 _Oh yes Victoria, I'll get your bony ass out of my way..._

"I'm guessing she didn't let you in?" Ethan asks taking a step in front of her. Max shakes her head, "You want _me_ to try?"

Her eyes scan the perimeter of the dorm building until she notices something she can use. "No. I think I know how I can get her to move." She looks back at him with a fire in her eyes, one which makes him smile greatly.

"I like the sound of that!" He exclaims, "Fill me in."

She gets closer to him and talks at a whisper, "They said they're not going to move from that spot. But if they can be driven out, with say, the sprinklers?"

He nods his head, "I'm liking it so far."

Max continues, "All we have to do is increase the intensity over there by the custodial room and it should spray them off the steps like a couple of dogs."

He grins, "Alright, I'm game. Though I can propose a different method."

She crosses her arms, "Okay, let's hear it."

He gestures over by the ladder of the scaffolding, "You see the paint bucket?" she nods, "I'm thinking maybe if we loosen the handle just a little bit, once the maintenance guy comes over and hangs it up to do his work, the law of gravity will bring it toppling down on top of them."

She ponders it for a moment. It would definitely embarrass her, but then it would also look like it was Samuel's fault. "But then, Samuel might get in trouble for it."

"Is that the maintenance guy?" She nods her head, "So what? It's not like he'd lose his job over it."

She scowled at him, "So? I like Samuel, he's alright. All he does is mind his own business and take care of the squirrels."

Ethan's eyebrows raise as if he just realized something. He doesn't comment on it though, "Alright then, we'll try your way first, but if it doesn't work, we do mine. Capiche?"

Max was really hoping her idea would pull through. Even if Ethan's idea would be better in terms of revenge, it's not worth getting Samuel in trouble...Regardless, she agrees to it, "You go mess with the sprinkler system, I'll make sure Samuel doesn't notice you with my rewind."

Ethan shakes his head and nonchalantly proceeds to the custodial closet. He whistles a little tune as he walks over which makes Max roll her eyes. Now he's acting a little _too_ nonchalant. Eventually he gets by the door and just as Samuel is about to turn in his direction, she raises her right hand and time goes backwards. As this happens, Ethan practically leaps into the closet and gives her the thumbs up that he's in. She keeps reversing until Samuel is looking the opposite direction and then lets go of her hold on time.

Once things start moving normally, she gives Samuel one last look, and he seems to be paused in place. Not irregularly or anything, just standing in place. What could he be doing? He turns slightly in the direction Ethan was in and Max could see the slightest trace of a smile. She liked that about him. He was always smiling. It's like he doesn't have a mean bone in his body, but...Did he see him? After that, he continues his work and starts to move towards the ladder.

After about 5 seconds, the sprinklers become more intense and drizzle all over the girls, especially Victoria. Max smiles as she complains about her expensive clothes getting wet. But that doesn't seem to be enough to get her to move entirely. Her smile dissipates slightly as it dawns to her what exactly comes next. As if on cue, Ethan pops up in the corner of her eye and twirls his finger, indicating for her to rewind. It's a shame how this has to go down, but it needs to be done. She shakes her head in understanding and raises her right hand yet again, rewinding time until Samuel moves back towards the closet.

By the time he gets there, Ethan is already done tampering with the bucket, and so he joins Max to watch the whole scene play out.

He crosses his arms as he stands next to her, "I'm sorry your idea didn't work. And maybe you didn't want to go with this one, but it'll be fine. This will work."

Max gulps down, feeling guilty for being involved. As Samuel steps up the ladder, he grabs the paint can, holding it until he reaches the top, and hangs it on a hanger of the scaffolding. Whatever guilt Max had, was washed away along with Victoria's pride, as the can tips over and the paint slaps the ground beside them, drenching Victoria. Ethan chuckles heartily at the scene along with Max. Even though Max felt guilty still—especially after Samuel attempted to apologize and Victoria called him a weirdo—she felt something else too. She felt powerful.

"Well, she got what she deserved." Ethan states, "Let's head inside?"

"No. You stay here, I shouldn't take long. I'll be in and out before you know it."

"Alright, Mad Max." She smiled at the nickname, not the first time she's been called it, but it's still pretty cool. "If that's the way you want to do it, by all means." He finishes with a playful bow and then sits down on the bench. He's such a goof ball.

As she nears the steps, she sees Victoria's friends run inside, probably going to get something to wipe her down. "Uh, Victoria?"

"What do you want, Max?"

As infuriating as Victoria can be and how much she wanted to rub it all in her face, Max knew how to be the bigger person... "I am sorry. That's an awesome cashmere coat..."

She looks at her and then at her ruined clothes, "It was. But there will be another."

"Well you do know how to always pick the right outfits..."

"I do have some talent. Mr. Jefferson told me—"

Max decides to cut in, "I've seen your pictures. You have a great eye, Richard Avadon-esque." Max meant that from the bottom of her heart. Victoria may have been a bitch on the outside, but her shots were always something to marvel at.

Victoria looks her in the eye and speaks in a softer tone, "He's one of my heroes...Thanks Max." The two stand there in awkward silence until she continues, "You deserve a better shot," she takes out her phone and deletes the photo she took earlier, "I'm sorry about blocking you and the...'go fuck your selfie.'"

She wasn't expecting an apology, but it's certainly welcome. "It was kind of mean..." Maybe she shouldn't leave it on that. "...but also pretty funny."

Victoria smiles slightly, "Just one of those days, you know?"

Boy, did Max know..."I know exactly what you mean, Victoria. I'll see you later."

With this, Victoria steps aside, allowing her to pass. Despite how good this turned out, she doubts they'll be friends from now on. Maybe Victoria played her and she should rewind and humiliate her even more. But that would be abusing her powers and that'd be wrong. Max was confident she made the right decision.

She pulls the handle on the door and enters the building.


	5. The Good and Bad of Blackwell

Chapter 4: The Good and Bad of Blackwell

 **~Ethan~**

Ethan was staring off into space, absentmindedly tapping his fingers on his arm and tapping his foot. He couldn't sit still for some reason. Well, no. There was a reason, but he'd gotten tired of going over and over it again in his head. He was so curious about this time travel thing. Why did the universe choose Max to be able to rewind time? Why was he able to walk around in it? The infinite questions buzzing through his head made him go damn near insane. It would be better to just chock it up as something that just _happened_ to have happened, and then use the powers as they see fit. But of course it's not that easy...

 _Why did I have to be so damn curious? I mean, why can't I be normal and just say 'it's a part of life' and move on? Because it's_ not _a part of life and this never fucking happens to anyone! *sigh* calm down. Just have to keep my mind off of it. I can do that._

He uses his eyes to search the courtyard outside the dorms. He was sitting on a bench at the moment, where Max had left him and went inside to get her friend's flash drive. He could still see Victoria on the steps, covered in paint. He couldn't do anything to stop himself from smiling so hard. He may not know much about her, but based off the way she treated Max—and yes, he heard it all—she deserved much more than that. He couldn't explain why he felt so protective of Max, but the memory of the conversation alone is enough to make him mad. Either way, it saddens him to see someone like Victoria Chase. How can someone as beautiful as that be so mean? Such a shame...One thing was for sure, she was definitely Vortex Club material.

Deciding to stretch his legs a little, he gets up from the bench and quickly passes under the football that was being thrown by two students across the yard. Once he gets past that, he starts walking along the outer edge of the courtyard. Even if there was a cool breeze, there's no denying just how hot it was outside. Perhaps wearing a sweater wasn't the best choice of apparel today...Ethan stops at the corner and sets his gaze on a totem pole hidden between some bushes. His grandmother had mentioned to him before that Native American tribes were the ones that created and inhabited Arcadia Bay, though there aren't too many old relics to justify its validity. So why was this here? Seems like an irregular place to put it.

He felt drawn to it, like it was calling out to him or trying to connect in some way. There was an indescribable energy, as if it were a place of power...And behind the totem, an animal appears, one that doesn't really show up here in Arcadia Bay. It was a bear...but not really. It looked transparent, and it shone with the sun. You'd think at this point, one would run the other direction, but instead, he didn't feel any fear. He felt...calm...

A football hits one of the pillars of the boundary line and startles Ethan. One of the players runs over to pick it up, laughing at the way Ethan jumped when it happened, and then goes back to their game of catch.

 _Yeah, keep laughing ass wipe. Miss an easy throw like that during a game and you won't win shit. Then_ I'll _be the one laughing._

He crosses his arms, taking one more glance at the totem pole. The bear is gone, if it even _was_ a bear. Why was he seeing a bear? This day can't get any stranger...

After walking around, he unintentionally winds up by the entrance of the dormitory campgrounds. Something causes him to do a double take and that's when he notices that same security guard that stopped him and Max earlier (Mr. Madsen?), talking to some girl. No, _harassing_ more like. His feet are moving before he even makes his decision.

"...so don't think I'm blind! I see _everything_ here at Blackwell!" He firmly states, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The girl steps back, clearly feeling overwhelmed, "No, and leave me alone!"

As Ethan turns the corner, the security guard glares at him, "Excuse me! I'd hate to break up this...whatever _this_ is that you're doing, but she _just_ said for you to leave her alone."

He puts his hand up, "Please excuse us, this is official campus business—"

"Last I checked, 'campus business' didn't fall under involuntary interrogations!" Ethan crosses his arms, "You shouldn't be yelling at students or bullying them."

He tilts his head looking at Ethan as if he were crazy, "Hey, hey, nobody is bullying anybody. I'm just doing my job."

"Right. Now why don't you go 'do your job' and make sure there aren't any students kicking a vending machine or something?"

Madsen clenches his teeth, he could tell he was definitely getting on his nerves. "I have a distinct feeling you're going to be part of the problem. I'll be watching you." He takes one last look at the girl before turning and walking away.

Ethan closes the distance between them enough so that they're within arms length of each other, "Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

It certainly looks like _someone_ did. She has one of those trusting faces, with long dirty blonde hair. Most of it was tied up but she still had bangs and some sections flowing down the sides of her face. She also has breathtaking hazel colored eyes, but the bags under them make them rather difficult to spot. Her complexion was pale and she was wearing a white shirt with a blue cardigan and a skirt.

One look at her and Ethan could tell she was going through a really tough time. Maybe it was just because of the situation she was just in, or maybe it's something else. Come to think of it, this looks like the same girl he saw during his lunch time, the one people were laughing about.

She starts to fiddle with her fingers, "No, I'm okay. Thank you. Thank you so much!" She smiles so sweetly it becomes contagious.

"No need to thank me," he says with a crooked smile, "that guy is a real dick."

"Indeed, he can be..." She laughs softly, "I've never seen you here before, are you new here?"

"Yeah, today is my first day." He says nodding his head, "I'm Ethan, by the way."

"I'm Kate." She replies, "It's very nice to meet you, Ethan."

"Likewise...Uh, are you busy right now?" She shakes her head, "Well if you have the time, maybe you'd like to keep me company? I'm waiting for someone outside the dorm and having somebody to talk to would really speed up the waiting process."

She smiles again, "Um, sure. I don't mind at all." The two begin making their way towards a bench in the courtyard, "So, you said you're waiting on someone?" He nods his head, "I'm surprised. Most people don't usually make friends on their first day."

"I didn't plan for it, if I'm being completely honest," he says rubbing his head with a grin, "It just sorta happened. Like a twist of fate."

"I suppose you just got lucky then," she mentions, "Though something tells me you don't have much trouble making friends."

"You'd be surprised," Ethan says, "For the past couple of years at my old school, I kept to myself mostly. No one really bothered anyone, which seems to be the complete opposite here."

Kate looks away for a second, "You got that right." She turns to look at him, "You _really_ need to watch out for people here. A lot of mean bullies."

They arrive at a bench where Kate sits first and then Ethan, "Like members of the Vortex Club?" She nods, "My first day and I can already say I don't like them much." She giggles, "If you don't mind me asking, are they the reason you look so...out of it? I mean, I saw them laughing at you during lunch earlier today."

Her eyes widen, "W-were you spying on me?"

"What? No! I-I'm not like, officer dickhead back there, I promise!" he states pointing towards the entrance, "I'm just observant, that's all."

"Oh. Well, um, yeah...but it's not just them..." She doesn't say much more on the matter after that, "I'm sorry, I'm kinda done with humanity today..."

Ethan spots the necklace she's wearing, a golden cross, which he gestures to, "That's why I never really like to put too much faith in _that_ kind of stuff." Her hand instinctively runs down to the cross and twirls it around, "I take it your a religious person?"

Kate nods, "I was born into it. My father preaches the gospel and my family kind of revolves around it. That's actually one of the reasons I get bullied." she says, looking down. "I run an abstinence campaign here."

"And in a high school, that practically _cries_ out potential bullying..."

She clicks her tongue, "Exactly. But accomplishment only comes through hardship. If you stay the course, someone will eventually get the message, and will thank you for it." she mutters, "At least that's what my dad always tells me."

"Your Father sounds like a wise man."

Time suddenly rewinds, making her say the entire statement again.

 _Okay, that's going to get pretty annoying. But, Max just used her rewind...I hope everything is okay._

Ethan repeats his answer, "Your Father sounds like a wise man."

"He's never let me down before..." She looks him in the eye, "So is there a reason you don't believe? I won't judge you or anything if that's what your worried about."

Ethan smiles at this. She's very sweet and well mannered. Since they sat down, her back has been fully erect, as if trying to be polite, _and_ she's a joy to talk to. "I appreciate that, by the way. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and more often than not, it feels like religion is just something others try to cram down everyone's throat." He shrugs, "Maybe that's _one_ of the reasons. But honestly, I just never saw the point in believing in some higher power, especially since it could end up dictating your life. Er, no offense."

She shakes her head smiling, "None taken."

"Good. Besides, most people I know that go to church are full of crap."

"I'm sorry to hear that." She simply says, "But like you said, 'everyone is entitled to their own opinion.' You can say what you want about religion but it _does_ help people."

He nods, "Yeah, those who need it, I suppose."

"This school is home to so many jerks, I just want help them before something bad happens...Like..." She pauses, "Like, Rachel Amber. Do you know who I'm talking about?"

 _There goes that name again...This girl must be a damn legend or something._

Ethan nods, "There's a poster of her every 5 feet around the entire school. Did you know her?"

"No, she had already disappeared by the time I got here." Hmm, same as Max... "I pray for her every night, though."

 _There is not a single mean bone in this girl's body is there?_

"Do you know what happened to her at all?" Nobody seems to know anything...

She shrugs her shoulders, "Not really. Some say she jumped off a cliff, or she ran away. I'd like to think it was the latter, and maybe she's living a better life somewhere else."

 _The chances of that being true are smaller than a grain of rice, but it never hurts to stay positive, especially if you have nothing to lose from it._

"Anyway, enough with all of that," she begins, "I'm depressed enough as it is." She pauses for a couple of seconds before continuing, "Who is it you're waiting for, anyway?"

"Oh, uh, Max Caulfield."

Kate's eyes widen, "Seriously? She's one of _my_ friends too!"

Ethan chuckles at her reaction, "Yeah?"

The way she starts speaking here now, almost sounds like a diary, "You can't go wrong with her. She's a good friend. Silly and sweet, a little shy like me, but still fun to talk to." She covers her mouth as she giggles, probably at a memory, "She's also quite, 'punny' as she would say."

Ethan rolls his eyes, "She says a lot of puns?"

"Sometimes, yeah. At least she was the last time we had tea. It seems like so long ago..." her face saddens for the third time which made Ethan all the more curious, but he wasn't going to budge. Her face returns to normal, "Whatever you do, don't call her by her real name."

 _Oooh, this is it!_

"Well, what's her real name?" He asks, "You know, just so I don't accidentally bring it up."

She can see right through his lie like a looking glass, but she says it anyway, "I think it's a nice name: Maxine."

 _That's the name she doesn't like? Maxine? Why couldn't it have been something a bit more embarrassing, like_ _Maximilian or something? Maxine actually sounds like a beautiful name. Either way, it will be fun to mess with her._

Kate looks at her phone, "Oh, shoot. I really have to go, I'm sorry I can't stay any longer."

"Oh no, it's alright," Ethan gets up with her as she stands, "Thanks for keeping me occupied. It was nice talking to you."

"Please, I had a fun time too." She peels her gaze away for a second, "And thank you, not just for helping me back there, but with showing up in general." She grabs her arm nervously, "Like I said, I'm having a really crappy time right now and I didn't think anybody cared..but you helped make it better a little...So, thank you."

Ethan could feel his face starting to tingle, "Aw jeez, stop that, you're making me blush..." She giggles before waving goodbye, "Oh wait, Kate!" He takes a sticky note from his bag (who would have thought they'd come in handy), and writes his number on it, "Here's my number. I don't usually give it out too often, but if you ever need to talk to someone," he gestures to the number as she takes it, "I'm only eleven buttons away."

She smiles warmly to him as a blush spreads on her face. Kate thanks him one last time before walking away. How can someone be mean to her? Just in the brief conversation he had with her, she seemed so kind, sweet, and generous. So why was everybody giving her shit? It can't be only from the abstinence shtick, right? That seems so stupid...Of course, people have been bullied for a lot less. Like Daniel, for instance.

 _Oh, speaking of which..._

He takes his phone out of his pocket and opens up Facebook. He doesn't go on it too often, but earlier he read that he got a notification on it. Turns out, it's a friend request from Daniel. After clicking 'accept' he checks out his profile page, taking a look at his feed.

 _There goes the picture of Max and I. Hmm, a lot of people liked it...How about his other photos?_

He clicks on one of the albums.

 _This particular album seems to revolve around school shit. Most of it is of Rachel Amber though. There was something alluring about this girl, not just her beauty or charm that everyone seems to speak about. I can't quite put my finger on it. In my gut, I_ know _something grave happened to this girl...and I feel like I_ need _to figure it out, not just because of my inability to leave something alone, but because I'm...I'm_ meant _to...What am I saying? All this craziness today is just getting into my head. Damn, where the hell is Max?_

"Ethan."

A flash suddenly goes off as he stares at the source, catching him off guard, and the familiar sound of the Polaroid generates a picture. Ethan frowned slightly turning towards the source, "Could you at least warn me, next time?"

"Whoa, _someone_ doesn't like getting their picture taken. Besides," Max shakes the photo with a devious grin, "if I warned you, it wouldn't be a _candid_ shot, now would it?" She looks down at the photo and then to the scowl apparent on his face, "Come on, don't complain. It was a good shot."

"Fine," He says, "Just don't get mad if I say or do something _you're_ uncomfortable with."

She squints one of her eyes, "Trust me, I think I can handle it."

He gives a devilish smirk of his own, "Whatever you say. So I assume you found the flash drive after going into the hyperbolic time chamber?"

"Ha ha." she mock laughs, "Yeah, I got it. Took some work, but it all worked out."

"Yeah, I saw the rewind." He explains, "Anyway, should we go meet up with your friend?"

"Yeah. He's over by the parking lot." She steps past him, "Come on, let's go."

"After you... _Maxine_."

She stops in her tracks before facing him with a puzzled expression, "How did you know that was my full name? Who told you!?"

Ethan smirks at her again, "I never kiss and tell!"

 _Thank you, Kate!_

* * *

On their way over to the parking lot, the two discussed what had happened with Max while she was in the dorm room. It was just a bunch of high school drama that she had to figure out in order to get the USB. And apparently that wasn't the only time she used her rewind. In fact, she used it when Ethan was on his phone, to stop some girl named Alyssa from getting hit with a football. Ethan couldn't contain his laughter on that, as mean as it was. Afterwards, he told her about the whole scene between Kate and Mr. Madsen. She called him Officer Dickhead, which led to some laughs as Ethan said he had called him the same thing earlier.

He asked Max if she knew anything about why Kate seemed so down. According to her, there was a video of her at some Vortex Club party, making out with a bunch of guys. For someone who runs an abstinence campaign, that's a major taboo. Now he understood why she was acting strange and why everyone was making fun of her. Though, it didn't explain the security guard's behavior...He was just another level of lunacy.

They arrive at the parking lot after cutting through the outer courtyard. There was nothing really worth noting except for the awkwardly placed RV in the corner of the lot and a beaten up beige colored truck that stood out like a sore thumb. Although, there was a bike that got toilet paper'd...It was seemingly empty of people, except for one kid that was standing next to an old car. He had shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a shirt with a blue stripe running across the top and a pair of jeans. There was no doubt about it, this was Max's friend.

As they get closer, the boy's face lights up like Christmas morning, "What up, Max? How are you?" Max was closer in proximity and he raises his arms outward slightly for a hug, but she doesn't seem to notice and instead reaches for his flash drive in her bag, leaving him in an awkward position.

 _Damn, that sucks. Poor guy...Judging by the look on his face, he most definitely has a crush on her, which isn't really uncommon between guy and girl friends. Trust me dude, we've_ all _been there. Hmm. I wonder if Max knows? Maybe she likes him too..._

 _..._

Luckily for him, he recovers quickly before she speaks, "Here's your flash," Max says, handing it to him, "Thanks for letting me borrow it."

He grabs it and rubs the back of his head, "No problem." His eyes set on Ethan and he waves his hand with a goofy smile, "Hi, I'm Warren!"

Ethan smiles and waves back, "Hey, I'm Ethan! Good to meet you."

"I don't think I've ever seen you around here before."

"He's new here," Max explains, "Today is his first day."

"Wow, no kidding?" Warren asks as more of a statement, "Where did you come from?"

"I was currently living in Florida, not 48 hours ago. Going to a private school." Ethan explained to both of them, since Max appeared to be interested as well, "Then, my grandmother decided to smuggle me over here and thought it'd be a brilliant idea to start school, the very morning after I arrived." Warren scrunches his face, "Yeah, I'm still pretty jet-lagged."

"Must be why you thought napping outside was a good idea..." Max commented quietly. Ethan glares at her playfully. "Well I'll be the first to tell you: the homework is gonna pile up to your eyeballs." She gestures to Warren, "but Warren is a good help with just about _any_ subject. I don't think I'd be _barely_ passing any of my classes without his help." Warren looks like he's being fed some tasty treats with the way Max is commending him.

"Is the work _that_ bad?"

"Nah," Warren puts on his best 'Dexter's laboratory' impression, "Not with my superior intellect!" Ethan and Max both chuckle at this, "Anyway, a friend of Max's is a friend of mine. If you ever need any help, just let me know."

"Thanks, Dexter," Ethan says smiling, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Warren gets another big smile before speaking, "Oh, check out my new wheels..." he presents the vehicle proudly with one hand as he steps somewhat to the side.

Ethan whistles while Max speaks with words, "Cool. Very old school."

"Yeah, what model is this from, the 1970's?" Ethan asks.

He pats the top of the hood with pride, "1978, to be exact." He turns to Max, "Now we can go to the drive-in. There's one in Newberg and it's only 60 miles away."

Ethan laughs, "Yeah, _only_ 60 miles away."

Max crosses her arms, grinning, "You're in the _wrong_ time Warren..." She tilts her head, "But then, so am I..."

Ethan glances at her slightly. He couldn't tell if that was a joke about everything that has happened today, or if it was about her personality.

Her face gets a bit distraught which causes Warren to raise the question, "Are you okay?"

She turns to face Ethan who was staring back at her, "Yeah. It's just been one strange fucking day."

 _Glad to know she's on the same page as me, I guess._

"I bet." Warren states, "I heard Victoria got a face full of paint...I'd pay money to see a photo like that." He glances at Ethan, "Oh, Victoria is this mean girl that goes here."

He nods his head, "I know. I've already had the pleasure of seeing her in person."

"You would have _payed_ to see it?" she clicks her tongue, "I wish I would have known..."

Warren chuckles, "You probably could have raised a Kickstarter fund just for that one image of her covered in paint!"

She rolls her eyes, amused, "Well, she took down the photo of me, so that drama ended well enough."

"By the way, I saw Daniel's sketch of you guys online," He leans back on the hood of his car, "I guess I know who the other person in the sketch was," he says gesturing to Ethan. "Anyway, it wasn't half bad, but I could do a much better job."

 _Apparently Warren likes to toot his own horn, huh?_ Not _a good quality to have, Warren. I shake my head at you!_

"You can draw?" Max looked perplexed, "I thought you were blinded by Science, not art."

He leans his head forward with a smirk, "Art _is_ Science. Music is Math, etc. etc." He waves his hands around the air in front of him, "I'd put Stephen Hawking against Picasso any day."

Ethan never thought about it like that before. Maybe there was more to Warren than meets the eye..."Neat! So I take it you draw on a computer then?"

"Of course," he answers, "If you guys ever have any photos you want to see modified, let me know. Like Max, I'd _love_ to tweak one of your selfies with some cool graphics."

"That might not suck," she admits jokingly, "I'll let you know."

Warren grins at the news, "So did you check out any of the _movie booty_ on my flash drive?"

"Yeah, thanks. You had some cool shit on there, from 'Akira' to 'Twilight Zone.'"

Ethan's eyes grow enormously, "Dude, I fucking _love_ 'Akira!'" He starts making motions with his hands, "Just from the characters, to the plot lines, and the animation. And that ending!" He calms down after realizing how loud he was being, "Whew...you have some excellent taste."

"Thanks, guys!" He puts a hand on his chest, "I like to consider myself a pop..." He pauses for second, trying to find the right words, "...cultural pirate connoisseur."

"I'm not sure, 'pirate' would really fit there..." Ethan says.

Max giggles, "Yeah, more like _thief_."

"Ha ha." He mock laughs, "If you have the time, make sure you watch 'Cannibal Holocaust.'"

Max shakes her head and Ethan comments, "That sounds like its even worse than 'Sharknado.'"

Warren laughs, "I laughed my _ass_ off watching _both_ of those!"

The three of them continue laughing until it dies down, "So you're the sensitive, type..." Max states.

Warren seems to cringe slightly, "Ouch, that sounds _awful_ when you say it."

She waves her hand in an apologetic tone, "No, I was impressed that you had 'Faster pussycat. Kill! Kill!'"

Ethan tilts his head, "Um, that's really a movie?"

"Oh yeah. It's about three go-go dancers that go on a spree of kidnapping and murder in the California desert." Warren explains, "Russ Meyer was a genius of black and white." He lifts his eyebrows in a goofy manner, "Plus, babes with breasts."

"Who would _beat_ your sensitive ass down."Max replies almost instantly.

He scoffs at this, "Yeah, if I was lucky..." His facial expression kind of shows that he's about to change the conversation, "Speaking of hip and fast, we should cruise out in my car to an actual movie this week." Max swivels her head, "...but you seem distracted."

Her eyes meet Ethan's and he could tell what was going to come next. She wanted to tell him about the time travel.

 _I didn't think they were so close that she would trust him with this kind of information. Though, he does seem trustworthy enough...Alright, if she wants to tell him, I can't stop her._

Ethan nods his with approval and Max speaks up, "What I'm about to tell you, no one can know."

He smiles, "Dr. Graham is in da house, Max. Tell me everything..."

Ethan steps to the side and she takes a spot next to Warren on the car, "For reals, Warren. This is between us, not social media..."

He takes a more serious tone in his body language, "Don't insult me. Max, go on."

Taking a deep breath, she begins, "I had this incredibly bizarro experience in Mr. Jefferson's class today..." She starts rubbing her hands together, "I mean, life changing. Have you ever had a dream, one that was so real, it felt like a movie?"

Footsteps...Someone was coming towards them. A chill suddenly ran down Ethan's back as he turns around.

"Max Caulfield, right?" It was Nathan Prescott. He continues moving until he's up in Max's face. "You're one of Jefferson's photo groupies..." He appears to be royally pissed about something, so that _cannot_ be good.

Warren was still standing next to her, but Nathan pushes him away with his hand as Ethan circles around to get closer to Max, "I'm one of his students..."

"Whatthefuckever." He mutters darkly, "I know you like to take pictures, _especially_ when you're hiding out in the bathrooms." Max tried hard to keep her composure, but Ethan could tell she was uncomfortable. "You best tell me what you saw. _Now_!"

"She doesn't have to tell you shit." Ethan mentions.

" _You_ , stay out of this, new kid!" He growls. "Now, answer me, bitch!" Ethan balls his fist.

She shakes her head, "What are you talking about?"

He squints his eyes menacingly, "I know you're still relatively new here, but don't even _try_ to play _stupid_ with me."

Max glares back at him, "I'm _not_ new here. I've lived here for years."

"Then you should know, the Prescotts own this shit hole."

"If that's the case then you don't have to worry about me," she spits back, "worry about yourself."

"Do _not_ analyze me!" He screams. This kid seriously has some issues to work on. "I pay people for that. Worry about yourself, Max Caulfield."

"I could call the police." Max said as threatening as she could.

An evil smirk pops up on his face, "Do it. The Prescotts _own_ the pigs here."

Warren steps in now, "Get away from her, dude!" He gets one hand on his shoulder before Nathan headbutts him to the ground. Everything after this happens in seconds.

"Leave him alone!" Max shouts.

Nathan turns around and pushes her towards the car. There was a small sound of glass cracking in her bag before he grabs her by the neck, "Nobody tells me what to do! No one!"

" _Hey!_ " Ethan growls as he frees Max and grabs Nathan by the shirt. The punch that met his face thereafter knocked Nathan on the ground.

Nathan was nursing his nose, which now seemed to be bleeding. "You fucking, _pest_!"

Suddenly, the beaten down beige truck appeared from the other side of the lot. Its presence caused everyone to turn their attention to the driver. It was the same girl they had saved in the bathroom earlier!

"Max?" she said in surprise.

"Chloe?"

Nathan gets up from the floor, "Dammit. _You_ again?"

A figure tackles Nathan to the ground and Max cries out, "Warren!"

Nathan was on the floor punching the shit out of Warren, "Go, go! I got this!"

Chloe drives forward a bit and opens the door, "Get in!"

Max enters the passenger seat and closes the door quickly, just as Nathan starts shouting and kicking it. Ethan grabs the collar of his jacket before tossing him to the side and jumping in the back of the truck. The three then drove away from the school just as security was arriving, leaving the parking lot behind them.

* * *

 **A/N : And so, enter Chloe :) Dialogue has always been a difficult thing for me to write, like I can spend hours just trying to write a single conversation, so I hope this chapter turned out okay...**

 **Please let me know what you guys think (I love hearing from you!), and I'll see you guys next week :D**


	6. Long Time No See

Chapter 5: Long Time No See

 **~Maxine~**

The bobble head on the dashboard bobbled back in forth from the speed and rumbling of the vehicle. They had made a quick getaway from the parking lot and were already a fair distance away from the school, but Max dared not take her eyes off the back window. Everything happened so fast. Nathan came out of nowhere, a fight broke out, and next thing she knew she was in Chloe's truck. She wasn't sure what to make of any of it. One thing is certain, things may have gotten uglier if Chloe hadn't shown up...

 _Chloe...She looks so different now and yet, also exactly the same. She has blue hair instead of blonde and a tattoo sleeve on her shoulder. She was also wearing some very punk rock clothes. What do I say to her? I can't just stay staring behind us the whole ride. Come on, Max, grow some lady balls._

She releases a breath she didn't know she was holding, "Man, Nathan Prescott is messed up. And dangerous...This day never ends..."

"'Oh, and thanks, Chloe!'" Chloe says, quoting what she _should have_ said. Max silently scolds herself, "After five years you're _still_ Max Caulfield." She moves around uncomfortably in her seat, looking guilty at nothing. "Don't give me the guilty face. At least _pretend_ you're glad to see me." Chloe finishes with a smile.

Max turns to her, "I am _seriously_ glad to see you." She pauses for a moment, realizing the dumb chance events that have happened to her so far and shakes her head with a smile, "Oh, and thanks, Chloe. It makes _perfect_ sense I'd see you today."

Chloe sighs replying, "Yes, it's been _that_ kind of day." She sets her eyes back on the road, "So what did that freak want with you?"

"Hopefully nothing after today." Max didn't want to add drama to her life, but so far today, it's been nothing _but_. "So, how do you know Nathan?"

Her facial expression turns into one that's annoyed. "He's just another Arcadia asshole..." She comments bitterly, "Your friends were pretty protective of you. One got their face beat in for you and the other gave Nathan a bloody nose." She turns to her, grinning, "Now, _that_ was cool to see."

Max becomes troubled by the thought that they left Warren behind, "Warren? Yeah, I owe him _big_ time."

"That the one who took the beat down?" she asked which Max nods her head in response, "And what about the pretty ginger in the back?"

She glances at the back window again where Ethan was sitting. She hadn't expected him to react the way he did, but how _would_ someone react in that situation? The wind was making his hair blast in different directions and he seemed to be massaging his right fist. The punch he gave to Nathan was incredible, like something from a movie. Poor Warren...He tried so hard to fight back. In the end, it was because of him that they escaped.

"That's Ethan," Max states, "I only met him today, actually."

Chloe raises an eyebrow, "And he's already getting in fights for you?" She shakes her head, "Damn, Max. You sure can get a guy to follow you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you're quite the playa, Max Caulfield." She says teasingly and Max rolls her eyes, "Anyway, you're not the only one in debt, and you're already causing trouble."

"I thought it would be quiet here." She admits, "Feels so weird to be back." She had never really aired out her thoughts on being back in Arcadia Bay, not to anyone.

"So I guess Seattle sucked hard?"

Max answered honestly, "No, it felt like a real city for artists, big and bright. Great for taking pictures..."

"Yeah, it must be difficult coming back to a 'hick' town like Arcadia again..." Chloe comments.

Max smiles, "Not after seeing _you_."

"Please, girl." She begins, "You came back for Blackwell Academy."

Not necessarily..."Only for Mark Jefferson." She corrects, "He was a pretty famous photographer in the 90's. I've always loved his work..."

"Those who can't do, teach." Chloe's voice becomes a bit gloomy, "I'm glad you found a good reason to come back."

Now Max's voice gets gloomy, "Don't you think I'm happy to see you?"

"No." She replies simply, "You were happy to wait 5 years without a phone call, or even a text."

"I wanted to. I was just so tripped out over leaving Arcadia..."

"Oh, please." Chloe says not buying any of it, "I'm sure your phone and laptop were frozen in time."

"You're merciless..."

"You've been at Blackwell for almost a _month_ without letting me know...'Nuff said."

Max tries her best to explain, "I just wanted to settle in first and not be such a shy, cliche geek." She turns to the front looking at the road, "I totally would have contacted you..."

Chloe, still unconvinced, says, "I bet you don't use these sad excuses on Mr. Jefferson...Don't use them on _me_ , Max."

And with that, the car becomes silent. No excuse was going to be enough to justify the lack of communication for 5 years. It would be better to just try and be able to move past all of it. But would Chloe even want that? Max sighed as she gazed out her passenger window, watching the different colors of the trees flurry past her at quick speed. Since no one is really talking at the moment, it might be a good idea to make sure her things are okay. She opens her bag that was by her feet and becomes disappointed by what she discovers.

She takes out her camera and sees that the lens frame was popping out, "Broken. Oh man, are you cereal?" This was the second time today, technically.

"Wow, haven't heard that one in awhile."

"Not everything changes." Max says, "Except my camera has officially taken a _shit_."

A knock is heard on the back window. Max opens the flap and the sound of wind became apparent making it difficult to hear Ethan, _"So where are we going?"_ He yells to them.

Chloe is the one to respond, "Max broke her camera." Ethan shouts something along the lines of 'I'm shit, I'm sorry.' Though, maybe he said ' _oh_ shit,' "But my step-douche has a boatload of tools." She turns to Max slightly, "Maybe she can fix it at my place?"

Max nods her head smiling.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I'm not sure I caught the first part. But what do you mean, get tickets from _Myspace?_ "

The two girls turn to each other and laugh. "We'll be there soon!" She closes the flap, leaving Ethan outside alone.

"I need really tiny tools..." Max mentions.

"Nerd alert!" Chloe says smiling, "My stepdad has a fully stocked garage. And he actually _is_ a tiny tool." Max moves around in her seat and chuckles as they drive over to Chloe's house.

"Welcome home, Max."

* * *

As they pull into the driveway of Chloe's house, Max gazes at the house she hasn't in forever. After putting the car on park, the three exit the vehicle and Chloe walks over to the front door. The outside looks just like it did 5 years ago, maybe a little dingier then before, and there was an American flag posted by the door. It was still half-painted blue, while the other half was white and the wood making up the exterior walls were cracking slightly. The rain gutter was bent outwards and ceiling tiles were falling off. They clearly haven't had much time to work on maintenance. Ethan appeared to be studying the house as well, standing next to her.

"Come on in, don't be shy." Chloe says unlocking the door.

Max and Ethan begin making their way around the car, "The house still looks...nice."

She exhales, entering, "Home, shit, home."

After seeing her go in, Ethan grabs Max's shoulder and spins her around, "Dude, that's the girl we saved from the bathroom!"

His eyes were wide open, he was clearly freaking out about it. "I know!"

"And you _know_ her!"

"I know that one too!" she replies playfully.

"Well why didn't you mention that before?" He asks, "It may have something to do with how we got our powers...er, _your_ powers."

"I didn't know it was _her_ that we saved before." She begins to explain, "Chloe looks different now, and how would me knowing her relate to us getting time travel abilities?"

Ethan visibly shrugs, "I-I-I don't know...but it's _something_ , you know? Like maybe you were _destined_ to be there or something."

She smiles at him. She doesn't think this chance meeting was a coincidence either. It _had_ to be a sign, like fate, saying that the world wants her and Chloe to be together. As nice as it would be to believe that, it wouldn't count for Ethan's involvement in all of this...

"You watch too many fantasy movies." She states teasingly, "I'm not sure what to make of any of it at the moment...This whole day has felt like a dream since I woke up in Mr. Jefferson's class. And now Chloe is here! So if this _is_ still a dream...I hope I don't wake up anytime soon."

Ethan frowns for a moment, "Can't say I like the idea of having a never ending dream...You two must have been close."

"We were inseparable," she admits, "but we can talk about that later. Let's go inside, it's getting hella hot out here."

"Good idea."

With this, the two enter the house, the A/C hitting them with a cool breeze as Ethan closes the door behind them. Max decides to ignore the downstairs for now and instead makes it a priority to explore later. She goes up the stairs with Ethan in pursuit where she sees Chloe unlocking the door to her room. After the door opens, they each file inside with Chloe heading towards the bed.

"My room looks a bit different than the last time you saw it." She says. "I'd be sorry for the mess, but I don't really give a shit."

"It's cool." Max answers, "At least we can chill out."

"Yeah, and I don't care about the mess either, but thanks for the concern..." Ethan mutters quietly.

She rolls around on her bed, "This isn't _exactly_ my 'chill out zone...' My step- _fuhrer_ makes sure of that." Chloe puts something on the floor and then rolls on the bed again, "Come in, close the door."

Max enters the room while Ethan closes the door. The room looked rundown and chaotic, like a hurricane had come passed by. Every section of the room was adorned with posters, graffiti, trash, and other old junk that Max couldn't place from far away. Empty beer bottles were piling up in certain areas and there were clothes making up the floor like a carpet...Chloe has definitely changed.

"Put on some music while I _medicate_." Chloe suggests.

Ethan looks around the room, "Okay, where's the stereo?"

Chloe points him to it and he starts to fiddle with it as Max wanders around the room. The first thing she snoops around in is a cupboard where she finds a post card. After flipping it over, she's surprised that it came from none other than Rachel Amber. The post card read: 'Miss you! Wish you were here! -Rach'

 _Even Chloe knew Rachel Amber...and pretty well by the looks of it..._

She opens a drawer finds a drawing of her and Chloe. It was a poster for a film, depicting the both of them on the cover as superheroes. The headline read: ' With Chloe and Max: 'She's a Killer.'' On the back was a bunch of doodles with them flying out into space, going through black holes, rocket ships, and aliens. On the top it was labeled: 'Power Girls.'

 _We had such a blast drawing these together._

She grins putting it back in the drawer and notices a gym bag under a bunch of shelves. It looks more like a laundry bag, upon getting closer, the smell confirmed it. It reeked of dirty laundry! Shaking it off, she spots a box on the top shelf and reaches out for it. Unfortunately, it's a little too high up, so she pulls on one of the flaps to get it closer, but it falls to the ground. As it hits the floor the sound of glass breaking could be heard which made Max cringe.

 _That didn't sound too good..._

Chloe speaks up, "Dude, you broke my glass snow globe. _Thanks_."

Max frowns just before Ethan says, "Oh, man...If only she could rewind time and fix it..." He smirks cheerfully as she raises her hand glaring at him.

Time rewinded, putting the box and the snow globe back on the top shelf. She decides to just leave it there. Next she goes through Chloe's wardrobe. Opening the drawer revealed that she had a ton of punk-rock-like styled clothes.

 _Chloe totally changed her style. I barely recognized her when I saw her in the truck. But I have to admit, I'm loving the blue hair, and it definitely suits her whole rebel attitude._

Max closes the drawer and turns her attention to a series of markings on the wall. It was the height meter that they had made growing up. Chloe was always taller than her and they made her dad keep track of their height. She could still make out the letters spelling out their names on each notch, only now it was all scribbled on in clear frustration with the words 'Dad is gone', 'Suck it,' and other obscenities etched onto it.

"There's no disc in here..." Ethan comments, "This whole time I've been trying to get it to turn on and there's no disc."

Chloe takes a drag from her blunt and exhales, "I'm sure there's one around here somewhere."

"I'll try and look for one." Max says moving to the other side of the room. She first searches the desk, or more like a storage space from the amount of papers on it. On the corner was a pile of Rachel Amber flyers, the same ones that are scattered all around school. _So it was Chloe that posted them up..._ After doing a quick search through the rest of the desk she couldn't find what she was looking for.

Deciding that maybe there was one hiding on the ground, she scans the floor with her eyes until they rest on a lock box peeking out from under the bed. Her curiosity was getting the better of her...Max kneels down and opens the lock box, finding a CD inside labeled 'MP3 Mix.' She puts it on the desk and examines the other contents, one of them being a photo of Rachel Amber. Upon picking it up, she notices it's the same picture used for the wanted flyers and there was a crease on the border indicating it was folded. She unfolds it, revealing the full picture of Chloe flipping off the camera and Rachel smiling next to her.

"Hey, give me that!" Chloe says sharply.

The picture gets taken from Max's hand and she quickly apologizes, "Sorry! I wasn't trying to be nosey...She was obviously a good friend." Max lifts herself off the floor.

"That's putting it mildly..."

Ethan observes the photo from where he is and leans on one foot, "Rachel Amber?" Max nods to him taking a spot next to Chloe on the bed, "There are 'missing person' posters of her all around Blackwell."

Chloe sighs distastefully, "Yeah, I was the one who put them up..." Her voice becomes noticeably weaker, lifting her head slightly towards Max, but she doesn't dare look her in the eye, "She was my angel. After my dad died and you moved, I felt abandoned. Like nobody cared..." she tilts her head at the picture, "Rachel saved my life."

"Man, I had no idea." said Max.

"Well you never made much of an effort to find out." Chloe states bitterly, "I was 14, we were _best_ _friends_."

Those last words were like a dagger to Max. "I _never_ forgot." She counteracts, "Even if I was an asshole and didn't keep in touch. But you had Rachel..."

Ethan thought it best to just let them talk. He has no business being a part of this particular conversation. If he could, he'd walk out of the room, but he feels like it'd be awkward to walk around the house of someone he doesn't really know. So he stayed quiet, which Max was grateful for.

"Rachel had my back...We were gonna kick the world's ass." Chloe chuckles somberly, "You would laugh at how different we were...She wanted to be a star."

"She looks like a model!" Max admits, "A friend of mine even said she was his muse for sketching."

"Yeah, she was a natural. That was her plan, you know?" She says as a statement more than a question, " _Our_ plan. Get the hell out of 'Bigfootville, and into Los Angeles."

It seemed like a good plan, at least for Chloe's case. Maybe a good change of scenery would have been good for Chloe, but Joyce might not have been cool with it. This springs a thought in Max's mind, "What about your mom? What did _she_ think about all this?

"She couldn't wait to get re-hitched." She scoffs, "Step- _dick_ is one reason I wanted to bail."

"I feel the love..." Max jokes sarcastically. She glances up at Ethan who was deep in thought, she could tell he was dying to ask Chloe something, and she had a feeling she knew what it was about..."Now, when did Rachel _actually_ disappear?"

"Six months ago." The response was almost instant as if she knew it by heart, "She just...left Arcadia. Without a word. Without... _me_."

There was a silence in the room, no one really knew what to say. She didn't know what to say...

Ethan rubs his arm and absently began brushing his fingers together, "What about her parents? Are they still looking for her?"

She shakes her head at him, "No. They're in denial. But, I _know_ she's missing."

"I assume you know more than that..." Max mumbles loud enough for everyone.

Chloe sighs again, "Before Rachel left, she said she met somebody who changed her life...Then _poof_."

Ethan moves his hand around in front of him, "And you haven't heard _anything_ from her since then?"

"Yeah, just like everybody in my life...Gone..." Max feels more guilty every time she says something like that. Chloe releases a heavy sigh, probably louder than she had intended, but she was clearly done with the conversation, "Can you put some music on now?" The way she asked made it sound almost like a plea.

Max gets up from the bed and hands Ethan the Mix CD she found in the lock box. He places it into the stereo and clicks play. The song that pops up had a wistful tone to it, and just by the beginning notes, she knew what it was. 'Santa Monica Dream' by Angus and Julia Stone. She hadn't heard it in a long time, but it used to be one of her favorites.

Chloe leans back on the bed, listening to the soft tones of the guitar as she inhales the marijuana, "Anyway...You can find tools to fix your camera in the garage..."

Max was worried about her old friend. If only there was something she could do...She takes a step towards the bed, "Chloe, are you okay?"

"Sure, I'm awesome." She answers flatly, "I just want to blaze and be alone for a moment..."

Nothing else is said after this, so both Max and Ethan take this as their cue to leave the room. Once they're out in the hallway Ethan turns to her, "Is she always so mad at the world?"

She cocks her head, "Wouldn't _you_ be, if it seemed like everything you love gets taken away from you?" He looks away pondering before Max speaks again, "By the way, what's with your interest in Rachel Amber?"

He looks at her quizzically, "What do you mean?"

"Come on, you know what I mean." She said, "The mere mention of her name and suddenly the person has your attention."

Ethan chuckles while he blushes and rubs the back of his head, "I'm sorry, I can't help it. I love a good mystery and this one so far has been unsolvable." He explains, "Both my mother and sister always said I was nosy and hard headed, but I'd make a helluva detective." He finishes with a grin.

She couldn't help but smile, "I'm actually known for being nosey too..."

"Yeah, I noticed that back in there." He points to Chloe's room referring to the whole picture fiasco, "Besides, there's something really weird about her disappearance. Like almost, unnatural..."

Max knew what he was talking about. A girl doesn't just up and vanish for six months without a word to anybody, not even to her parents or girlfriend. Either she's being held captive somewhere or...the other thing...Though for Chloe's sake, she hoped that wasn't the case. And even if it was, they would have found the body by now, right?

A loud thud is heard hitting the window in the next room, making them both jump in place. Interested, Max peeks the corner of the doorway, the room that the sound came from. It was Joyce's room. She felt weird snooping around here, _especially_ here, but the room seems to look like it did before. The wallpaper was a light blue around the room with a double bed in the left hand corner facing a wardrobe. There was a nightstand on both sides of the bed and a dresser in the right corner. Her eyes rest on something she spots at the window and in a gasp she runs rushes over.

"What, what is it?" Ethan asks, catching up with her.

Max opens the window revealing a dead bird on the pane. "It must have tried going in and hit the window..." She points out the slight crack embedded on the glass. "Well it's not going to die today..." Max lifts her right hand and rewinds back 10 seconds, the window was closed now, but Ethan opens it just as time goes back to normal. This time the bird gracefully flies through the window and lands gently on top of the wardrobe, chirping and happily flapping its wings.

Max smiles to herself.

 _That's what I'm talking about! I just saved another life. I'm on a roll today!_

Ethan notices the smile and matches it with one of his own, "It's great that you manged to keep it alive, but don't you think Chloe's mom is going to be upset about a bird taking shelter in her room?"

She brushes it off, "No, I don't think so. She spends most of her day at work, so it's not like she's around too often. Besides, Joyce is awesome, I'm sure she'd understand!"

Max is exiting the room with Ethan just as he says, "Wait, you said her mom's name is, 'Joyce?'"

"Yeah, that's right." They both begin making their way down the stairs, "Joyce is pretty well known around here, mainly for her work at the Two Whales, which by the way, her cooking is to die for!"

Ethan shakes his head incredulously, "Wow, that is so weird!" She turns to him as they reach the bottom of the steps, "I met Joyce today, at the Two Whales!"

"You did?"

"Yeah. I had breakfast with my grandmother there before going to school today. We actually talked about Chloe."

"Oh, what'd you guys talk about?"

His eyes look in a different direction, plotting what to say, "Oh, just, you know, how she was doing and all...among other things..."

Before Max could even think of a reply, she just now starts walking through the downstairs area. Her smile was as sweet as sugar as she strolled through the house she semi grew up in. As she took a step in the kitchen she could remember the mouth watering smell of breakfast being made when she spent the night sometimes, and they'd watch the news on the little TV on the corner of the counter. How happy she felt seeing everybody together, laughing and having a good time. Exiting the kitchen she could see the glass door leading to outside. The warm glow of the backyard did little to illuminate downstairs but it brought a smile to her face. She was in the living room now. There was the couch and the coffee table cluttered with magazines facing a big screen TV. But to Max, the only important thing was the couch. With a sigh she slumped right into the cushion and a memory of her and Chloe suddenly came to mind. It was of the time she and Chloe first tried wine, they had stolen it from the fridge without her parents knowing...

 _"Come on, open it chicken!" said Chloe._

 _"Hold on a second. And I'm_ not _a chicken!" Max defended herself._

 _"Prove it! You drink first, Max."_

 _"No way! This was all_ your _idea, Chloe! You should be the one to do it first!"_

 _"Whateva. Give me the bottle."_

 _She takes a sip._

 _"Well...?"_

 _She smacks her lips together judging the flavor, "Tasty. Very tasty..."_

 _"Okay, I want a sip!" Max reaches for the bottle, only for Chloe to pull it away at the last second, "Wha-hey!"_

 _"Sorry, this is not for kids." She says in a condescending tone._

 _"Don't be greedy!" Max argued, "Gimme some!"_

 _Max reaches for it again with the same results, only this time, Chloe miscalculated her grip and it drops on the floor._

 _"Oh shit, the carpet!"_

 _"There's wine all over the place!" Max turns to Chloe looking for answers, "What do we do now?"_

 _Footsteps are heard by the front door, "My parent's are coming! Cover it up..."_

Max looks down at the spot where the wine had fallen and she could still see the stain it left behind. Despite their best abilities to clean it up, they never could remove the mark it left behind, and needless to say, they wound up getting caught. She grins cheerfully at the old memory and thinking back, the times she spent with Chloe might have been the best in her life. Max knew that she wanted to see Chloe again when she first came back, but it was only at this moment, as she was sitting there in that old couch, that she realized just how much she missed her...

"Holy shit..." Ethan says looking at a picture next to the TV. Max gets up and stands next to him, "guess we know why Chloe doesn't like her step-dad much. It's Hitler himself."

Max examined the photo and she couldn't believe it. Chloe's stepdad is David Madsen, the head of security at Blackwell! The picture was of him stepping on the neck of a fallen deer, probably from hunting from the looks of it.

 _If it was me taking the picture, I would have the deer stepping on_ you _, asshole. Why would Joyce marry someone like him? ...No, I'm sure she has her reasons. Maybe she see's something in him that we don't._

"We should get back on track." Max says. Ethan turns to her as she rounds the corner of the sofa, "The garage is through here."

She drops down the little step from the living room to the garage. The first thing she notes is the stench of dust and grease. Probably from the grease stains that are on the floor next to some of the cabinets. In the corner there was a gun case filled with different types of weapons—David's things no doubt—and upon closer examination, there seemed to be one missing...A washing machine stood next to the boiler in the next corner, along with shelves holding boxes of stuff she didn't recognize. There was a laptop open on the counter next to a load of open tools and a lamp to light the area.

Ethan enters closing the door, "Seems like a pretty decent man-cave to be honest." He wanders around reaching the opposite corner of the room and whistles at what he sees, "What is _this_ doing here? Mr. Madsen must be quite the mechanic to be working on _this_." Ethan says examining the exterior of the vehicle. "I mean, check it out, it's a muscle car! I know he's a dick and all, but props to him..." He puts his hands on his hips, "What do these tools look like again?"

"Uh, there usually in like a black case, and the tools kind of look like scalpels."

"Gotcha. I'll keep any eye out then."

Max nods at this and approaches the counter with all the tools trying to find what she needs, but one look and she knew what she needed wasn't there.

 _Maybe in one of these cabinets..._

She reaches up and opens the cabinet door located to the far left. What she finds astonished her. Taped on the door was a map of Blackwell academy and there were circles marking spots around the campus for camera placements. She had heard that he was trying to install camera's at the school, though some teachers were opposed to it. Max wasn't sure how she felt about it, as long as it wasn't in the dorms...Then it would just be an invasion of privacy.

Max turns to the other thing she found, a small TV, and turns it on.

 _What the-? Chloe's stepdad actually installed cameras around the house? For reals? Jeez, how paranoid can you get, dude? This guy has serious trust issues! Wait...Do Chloe and Joyce even know about this?_

Max hears the ruffling of drawers from behind, only to see that Ethan was searching through some of the tool drawers. He takes out a picture that was resting inside, "Huh...I didn't know Chloe's stepdad was a veteran. Did you?" Max shakes her head, she genuinely had no idea. "Well...I suppose that would explain the paranoia some." he places it back inside, "You find your tools yet?"

"No, not yet," She answers and then beckons him over, "Take a look at this real quick."

Ethan does so and moves over to where she is, so close she could feel him exhale as he scanned the contents like she did. "The map of Blackwell is understandable, but the cameras around the house?" He cocks his head to side, "that's going a little over board..."

"A _little_ over board?"

"Okay, I can see why it'd be seen as bat shit crazy," he admits, "but it sorta makes sense. I mean he works as a security guard and he wants to make sure the house is 'secure.'"

"I suppose...I wouldn't go that far though." Max says, "What if Chloe and Joyce don't know about it?"

"Then he overstepped his boundaries, I guess." He hurriedly said, "Regardless, it won't help us find that box of tools right now. Good information for later though..."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know why I feel so nosey today..." Max closes the drawer, "Can you check the drawers over there?"

Ethan raises an eyebrow, "You mean the one by the puddle of grease?" Max gives him a cheeky smile before he sighs and begins his search. As he was going through each drawer, Max looked above the cabinets itself and noticed a file sticking out.

"Do you see that?" She asks pointing to it.

He looks up and grabs it with ease, something that would have taken her some difficulty due to her height. that was something that annoyed her. She was never too short or too tall, just that annoying in between. Ethan was about Chloe's height, maybe taller by half an inch or so. Max steps next to him as he opens the file.

 _Kate Marsh? Why the hell would he have pictures of her? Kate wouldn't hurt a fly even if she were to be rewarded for it. There's no way she would be capable of doing something bad._

The folder consisted of many angled shots of Kate Marsh walking around the different areas on campus. The first picture had a message saying: ' _she knows something!'_

"Okay, this is getting totally weird..." Max states.

"Yeah, tell me about it..." Ethan said still focused on the photos. He stares at them deep in thought for a few more seconds before closing the folder. He puts it back on the top shelf before turning to her, but before he could make words come out, he squints his past her, "Are those the tools you need?" He points to the top of the washer machine.

She turns around to see it's stacked in a little basket on top of three other boxes. Neither of them were big enough to reach it. "Yeah, that's it right there."

The two walk over and Ethan tries to reach for it. He tip toes and extends his hand towards the basket, touching the case but not enough to grab it properly. He releases a frustrated sigh, "I...almost...got it..." He nudges his finger at the case and it falls to the ground behind the boiler. "Dammit!"

"Nice! Full marks for a good attempt, sir." She says playfully.

He stares at her with a smirk, "Well I appreciate the support, Maxine, that's very kind of you." She scowls at him, "Rewind real quick, I'll see if I can't catch it in the air."

Max mumbles something under her breath as time reverses. Just as the keys pass the top of the boiler, Ethan snatches it. Only they also see it return to the basket above...Time returns to normal and Ethan waves the equipment in her face with a goofy smile.

"How did you do that?" Max asked in a state of wonderment. She takes the case from his hand and compares it to the one still in the basket, "You _created_ a second version of it when you grabbed it during the rewind!"

"I don't know how I do it." He answered smiling, "I did it before when you rewinded back at the bathroom. When I woke up, I had my _pristine_ locker ticket and I also had the one that you stepped on earlier."

She couldn't hide her amazement, "Ethan, that's so fucking awesome!"

"I know right?" He said equally amazed with the ability, "And now you have your own set of Mr. Madsen's tools."

"Thank you," she pauses for moment before licking her lips to continue, "And not just for the tools by the way. Thanks for everything, today. Saving Chloe, pranking Victoria, and especially that whole business with Nathan in the parking lot."

He waves his hand, "Oh, come on, Max. No need to thank me."

"No, there is." She insists, "there aren't too many people I know that would that would get into a fight for someone they just met."

"And even _fewer_ that you've traveled back in time with." He adds.

Max chuckles before he speaks again, "Yeah, that too..."

"You're welcome, then. And thank you as well."

"For what?"

He looks away shyly, "For making a day that I thought was going to be so goddamn boring, into one of the most memorable ones in my life." When he finished, he gave her a look that pierced through her and gave her goosebumps.

"Same..." That was all she could manage. The two stay like this for a time that Max couldn't really determine fully before she clears her throat, "We should, uh, get back to Chloe."

He nods with a smile as she begins her path towards the door, "After you..."

* * *

 **A/N : Happy**— **Late** — **Thanksgiving everyone!**

 **This chapter was kind of intimidating for me, since it was my first time writing Chloe fully into a chapter, and being the awesome character that she is, I didn't want to screw her up. Especially, again, all the dialogue that had to be written here. Which, by the way, thank you all for the nice comments on the last chapter, it really put a smile on my face, and I hope I can entertain you all with what I have planned for this story, which is A LOT to come :)**

 **Anyway, I'll catch you guys next week!**


	7. The Vision of Doomsday

Chapter 6: The Vision of Doomsday

 **~Ethan~**

" _Finally_ , you guys came back." Chloe says as Ethan and Max entered her room, "What took you so long?"

Ethan closes the door noting the palpable odor of the mary jane that had taken over the room. He took a quiet whiff of the scent and relished it in the moment. It had been a while since he had smoked himself. _Too long,_ he thought. After a day like  
/this, it seemed like the opportune way to end the evening. Unfortunately for him, he made a promise to stop doing it altogether, so, oh well...He walks in after Max, who hops over to the center of the room waving the tools they had proclaimed from  
/the garage.

"Your stepdad doesn't exactly have a sign for this, you know?" Max answers.

" _Sure_ he does, just look under the one labeled: _'I'm with asshole'_." Chloe replies, "You can sit at my desk to fix your camera."

Ethan leans his back on the wall next to the desk as Max takes the seat and places down her Polaroid. She unbuckles the latch on the box and carefully takes out the tools that she needs to examine the extent of the damage. Slowly, with a tool Ethan can  
/only describe as a metal syringe, she disassembles her retro camera into three or four pieces. Some of the film that was still inside fluttered out as she continued to tinker. All Ethan could do was watch Max as she worked, how focused she was, like  
/she knew _exactly_ what she was doing. Ethan knew how to work with technology, computers mainly. But cameras? They were a different thing entirely. In fact, it seemed that much more difficult to operate, which made this whole process fascinating  
/to him.

Her focus becomes frustration as she pauses and leans back on the chair with an exasperated sigh. She lightly bangs her hand on the table and then puts another hand on her face. It's safe to assume the camera has seen better days...Chloe gets up from  
/her bed, eyeing Ethan as she moves over to join them. He shakes his head, universally saying it doesn't look too good. She puts the ashtray down, on the desk and turns to her childhood friend, "So? What's the prognosis, doc?"

She gestures to the broken camera she loved so much, "I can't fix this thing!"

"Maybe it's not as bad as it looks," Ethan tries to assure her.

Max turns to him, "No, I mean I seriously can't fix this thing. The processing rollers are all bent out of whack, which means it won't be able to produce pictures anymore."

"You can't find someone else to fix it?"

"No. Polaroid camera's are hard to come by these days..." She explains. "Even if I _could_ find someone to fix it, it would take a while, and it would cost a lot of money."

Ethan makes a firm line with his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Chloe glances down on the desk perching an eyebrow, "Are these your new photos?"

Max still had a hand to her face when she answers, "Yeah...I just took these today."

"Lemme see..." Chloe giddily said picking up the photos. She cycles through two of them with wonderment, but as she reaches the third, she glances over at Ethan with what he can only distinguish as...marveling? He wasn't sure. She smiles slightly before  
/returning to the pictures. The next one she sees makes her eyes widen, "Wait...I've seen this before." She gets noticeably more anxious, "No way! Where did you take this?" Ethan's eyes instantly meet Max, who had grown visibly pale at the question.  
/" _You_ took this photo you brat!" Chloe said cheerfully. There was a silence in the room as Chloe began to piece together everything. "In the bathroom today... _You_ set off the alarm! That's why Nathan raged after you...It totally makes  
/sense." A smile spreads, "You hella saved my life..." She glances at Ethan quickly and he makes his best attempt to look as neutral as possible. But if her stern expression was any evidence, he was failing quite miserably. She crosses her arms before  
/turning to her old friend, "Now tell me the truth, Max."

This time, Max glances over at Ethan, trying to look for a way out of this situation, but even _he_ didn't a see a way out. She was gonna have to tell her. He wasn't sure whether or not he could trust Chloe yet, but Max sure does. If that's the case  
/then it should be okay. Besides, she was ready to tell Warren and she trusts _her_ a helluva lot more. The two lock eyes before giving a tactful nod.

"I was there...Well... _We_ were there." Max corrects herself, "We were hiding in the corner when it happened."

Chloe gave a child like smile, "Damn. You guys are like ninjas."

"Nah," Ethan begins, "A ninja would have done some sick kung fu move to take the gun away-"

"-and then cut Nathan's head off with a hidden samurai sword." Max finished for him, grinning, "I just took a butterfly photo."

Nothing could take away Chloe's fascinated smile, "That is _so_ badass."

"Please, you should see the way we acted when it happened the first time around." The words were out of Ethan's mouth before he could realize what it was.

Max glares at him, " _First_ time around?" Chloe asks slightly laughing, "You saying this happened more than once?"

Ethan scratches the back of his head anxiously, "Uh...Yeah. Because, I've just been playing the scene through my head this entire day, you know?" He snorts trying to pass it off casually, "It's not like something like this happens everyday, right?"

Max jumps almost right after, "Oh yeah, totally, I mean, I almost wet myself when I saw the gun!"

Chloe didn't seem adequately convinced, but it was enough for her to drop the subject, which Ethan was thankful for. "So, did you recognize me?" She asks, brushing her finger through her vibrant blue hair.

"Not at all." Max answered honestly, "Your hair and clothes are so different." Ethan liked her style, a little too messy, perhaps, but the blue hair was certainly a nice touch. Downstairs he had noticed her natural hair color was a strawberry blonde,  
/but he preferred the blue. It makes her stand out more among others, kind of like how _he_ does with his red hair, and blue was definitely a nice color on her.

"I hope so," said Chloe, "I'm sure this all so weird to you after coming back and I'm not even sure how this must seem for _you_."

Ethan nods his head, "It's been a strange fucking day, more eventful than I ever thought it could be."

Max adjusts herself in her seat, "Like you said: It's been _that_ kind of day..."

Chloe squints her eyes a bit, "So you guys must have overheard our conversation..." She seemed almost embarrassed saying it.

They both answered simultaneously.

"Just a bit..."

"Only a little..."

She laughs at this, "There is no way you two didn't hear every single vowel that was said in that bathroom."

"Okay..." Max caved, "I only heard something about money...drugs...but that's it, I promise."

"Same." Ethan said. He recalled that he also remembered her trying to blackmail him, but perhaps that would fall under the 'money' category. Regardless, he doesn't bring it up.

Chloe leans back against the wall, "Now for the big question: Did you tell anybody?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't going to..." Max said slowly, "I wanted to tell the principle that Nathan Prescott had a fucking gun on you, but Ethan stopped me before I could."

Ethan crosses his arms awaiting a reaction from Chloe, "Good." She says glancing to him, "That was a smart move." A smile creeps on his face as she continues, "As scary as it was, telling Principle Wells wouldn't have done shit. That jackass only cares  
/about himself and getting money for Blackwell Academy...Don't trust him."

Ethan ponders this thought for a moment. When he had spoken with him, his first impression was that he was acting fake, so it was easy to believe Chloe in that regard. But when he brought up Rachel Amber, he seemed to get genuinely...upset? No, he seemed  
/almost mesmerized by the memory of her. Ethan wasn't sure what to call it exactly, but it sure wasn't greed.

"We didn't mention you at all. Swear." Max assures.

Chloe seems to relax with this as she breathes out a sigh, "Thank god..." What she says next, she directs toward Max and then to Ethan, "I'll tell you more about it someday, and seriously...I owe you guys."

Ethan and Max could only smile at her words. A flash of remembrance passes by Chloe's face as she spins on her heel with a grin and crouches down next to her stereo. She begins to trace through various albums, loose CD's, and other forms of clutter while  
/Max gets up from her chair to observe and Ethan just watches from where he stood. After long seconds of searching she takes out a clunky looking device, beige and black on the bottom, with a long viewing tunnel. It was a Polaroid Camera! She held  
/the thing with two hands with precious care, so it must be very special to her.

She rises and turns to Max, "I, er, know it was your birthday last month..." She looks down and gazes at the Camera with a sense of nostalgia, "This was my real father's camera...I want you to have it."

 _Wow. From what I've gathered here, Chloe's biological father meant a lot to her. So for her to be entrusting it with Max? Maybe that bond Max shares for Chloe isn't one way after all. Chloe genuinely cares about her. Now that is just too sweet..._

"That's so cool of you to remember my birthday," Max happily says, putting two hands on the camera, "But...I can't take this."

She attempts to give it back, but Chloe pushes it towards her, "Of course you can. My dad would be pissed if I never used it, and now I know it will be used awesomely." She reaches and grabs the picture of the butterfly, "And I'll snag this picture as  
/a symbol of our reunion. Cool?"

Max was helpless against the smile that wouldn't shut down, she was clearly ecstatic about it. "Yes, of course it's cool! Thank you...This camera is so sweet!"

Ethan remained quiet. This was a moment for the two of them, it's easy forget he doesn't really belong here at the moment. Regardless, it was nice to see them both smiling like idiots, as if all was right in the world. For a second, Ethan tried to remember  
/the last time he felt that happy...

Chloe once again crouches back down to her stereo, "Now that we got that mushy shit outta the way, I feel like _stage diving_!" She clicks a few things on the machine and raises the volume as a new song comes up. He didn't recognize it, but it had  
/a decent rhythm to it. The music goes so loud, he's surprised the ceiling doesn't come toppling down.

"You're crazy!" Max laughs out as Chloe jumps in front of her and grabs her hands.

"Yep yep, I'm fucking insane in the brain! Let's _dance!_ You too pretty boy, show us some moves! Max, shake that bony white ass!" She grabs the blunt from her ashtray, " _Or_ take my picture with your new camera."

Max was giggling more than she had all day and Ethan found it increasingly difficult to keep a straight face watching Chloe dance on the bed. Max goes on instinct, taking out her new camera and taking a picture of a dancing Chloe shrouded by haze.

"This song fucking rules!" Chloe exclaims in between breaths, "Can't dance, hippie? Come on! She waves her arms to Max, "Rock out, girl!"

As if commanded—to Ethan's surprise—Max proceeds to do a little dance, just a few semi-circles with her arms and moving around in place. It was dainty and cute, very amusing to watch. Then again, his 'party moves' weren't anything spectacular either,  
/despite going through 3 years in dance school—but that was slow dancing, completely different.

"Yes! Break it down, Max!" cheered Chloe.

The energy in Max's movements doubled and Chloe was thrashing about. This was a side he would never have thought to see from Max, the shy, timid girl who can reverse time. But Chloe manages to pull that out of her. Perhaps that's why they're such good  
/friends. In that moment, it seemed like they were in another world. Ethan stood there, laughing, taking in the sight of them, until he heard a door slam downstairs.

 _Someone just came home. But is it Chloe's mom or her stepdad?_

 _"Chloe, are you up there?"_ A gruff voice is heard from downstairs.

 _Well I suppose that answers_ that _then..._

Chloe is the first to react, "Shit. Yo, turn it off, turn it off!"

Ethan presses the stop button and Mr. Madsen's voice breaks through the abrupt silence, "How many times have I told you to stop _blasting_ that punk shit?"

 _Hmm. Charming as ever..._

"Dude, the music's not even _on_!" She lowers her head and mutters, "Asshole..."

A sound is heard on the stairway and Ethan knew what was next, "I'm coming up, we need to talk!"

Chloe shakes her head and groans, "Urgh, no fucking way!" She jumps out of her bed and puts her blunt back on the ashtray, "You two need to hide. _Now_!" She begins to shake the air a little bit to lead the smoke out the window, "My stepdad will  
/kill me if he finds you guys here!" As the steps get closer, she jumps to the door and hastily locks it just as the knob shakes.

"Chloe, what's going on? Open this door, please." He at least _sounded_ concerned...

"Chill, I'm changing, is that _okay_?" She retorts through the closed door. She looks to Ethan and Max, "Find a place to hide, _now_."

Panic begins to set in as he swiftly searches for a hiding spot, _like an old game of hide and seek,_ he thought. His first impression was to go under the bed, but it was too close to the ground. Max grabs him with deft hands and leads them over  
/to the closet. From the spaces between the lines, it looked like an enough space to hold them both.

 _Good thinking, Max!_

With a tug, the door opens, but the lamp falls in the space and topples a shelf over, blocking the way. She turns to him with wide eyes, to which he replies with a sly smile and wiggles his right hand. Max makes an 'O' with her mouth, understanding as  
/she lifts her right hand and rewinds to the moment before she opened the door. This time, Ethan goes and adjusts the lamp to a different angle. So now the door slid open with ease and the two entered their hiding place. It was less spacious than he  
/had anticipated. They were standing awkwardly close to each other, and he had to bend down slightly to keep his head from hitting the shelf.

Chloe mutters something under her breath that Ethan couldn't quite make out, but the door flies open.

The head of security for Blackwell barges into her room, "What's going on in here?"

Chloe paces back as he takes his first steps in, "Jesus, I'm _just_ trying on clothes. You're so _friggin'_ paranoid."

He stares at her sideways, "Yeah, _combat_ will do that to ya." She doesn't say anything, just bounces back onto her bed. She refused to look towards the closet, anything to avoid giving a suspicion to check in there. _She was quick on her feet_ ,  
/Ethan noticed. He walks toward the desk fidgeting with some of the objects, "One of my guns is missing..." He turns his head to her with a hint of indignation in his voice, "Did _you_ take it?"

She scoffs at the accusation, "Oh my god, I didn't take your stupid gun, okay? You _do_ know I believe in gun control?"

 _Please. A girl like her? 'Gun control' my ass, that_ has _to be a lie, though she certainly is skilled at telling it._

"Wait." He says abruptly picking something up from the desk, "Is this _grass_? You've been _toking_ up again in here!?"

"This doesn't look good for her..." Max whispers quieter than a mouse. Ethan nods his head, not risking the chance of being heard.

 _She's right, it doesn't look good. But it's important that we stay in here. Our presence may cause her more trouble than she's already in._

Chloe announces rising from the bed, "Oh yeah, guns, weed...You're trippin' balls."

She puts two hands on her hips as he begins to point a finger at her, "I'm so _sick_ of your disrespect! Tell me the truth, _that's_ an order!" He steps closer to her, "Whose is it!?" His voice was bit more demanding then before.

Ethan felt Max shift a bit, "I'm _not_ gonna let him talk to her like that..." Before he could do anything to stop her, she opens the closet, revealing herself to 'step-douche'. All eyes are on her, "I'm sorry, sir...I-it's _my_ joint."

He scowls at her, "Well, well. I don't like strangers in my home. Especially _dopers_."

Ethan sighed inwardly. The cat's out of the bag now, may as well join in...He steps into the light and reveals himself, giving a small wave to Mr. Madsen as he frowns at him. "Hi. So, _were_ there any students kicking the vending machines, or...?"  
/His voice trails off at the end. _Maybe_ he shouldn't be so quip- _y_ all the damn time, but it just came so naturally to him.

"You again?" He asked with distaste.

Chloe looks at them both, "You two know each other?"

"This one's shady!" He accuses pointing a finger at him, "You shouldn't be hanging out with him."

"I'll hang out with whoever I want." She states firmly.

He looks at both him and Max, "So you two are bringing drugs into my home. How about if I call the police?" He stomps over to Max who leans back slightly and makes a few gestures with his hands, "That would screw up your _entire_ Blackwell record..."  
/He glances back at Ethan as he continues, "The two of you _do_ seem to get around, despite it being your _first_ day. I'm sick of you _losers_ dragging Chloe down!" He chuckles darkly, "Man, you two are on a roll today. Between the  
/fire alarm, Kate Marsh, and now this..." Ethan felt a tingle run up his arm, the same feeling he had gotten when Nathan was about to hurt Max. David gets closer to Max who seemed like the easiest prey to him, "What? Got nothin' to say for yourself  
/this time?"

With gritted teeth, Ethan stepped forward, but before he could do something, Chloe steps in first. "Get the hell away from her!" She growls, shoving him back. "You have no right to talk down to her like that."

" _They_ have no right being in here!"

"More of a right then you do!" She spits back, making him frown even harder, "These are my friends, now _leave us alone_." Her voice was hard and final.

He sighs, agitated, " _Fine_. Have it your way..." He makes his way towards the door, "But if I find you two here again...You can expect there to be trouble."

The door slams shut, Chloe sticks her two middle fingers at the echo of her stepfather. Ethan couldn't believe how the whole scene turned out. He was half expecting Mr. Madsen to blow steam out his ears with how red he was getting. The fact that Chloe  
/and Max defended each other, shows just how much each cared for the other. It's a good thing Chloe stepped in when she did though, he wasn't sure _what_ he was gonna do...

...

Chloe turns to them with a devilish smirk, "So, for the both of you being ultra-mega-badasses: let me show you my new toy." She crouches down under her bed rummaging through a container. Ethan turned to Max quizzically, trying to see if she knew what  
/it was, but she was just as clueless. Finally, Chloe jumps up holding the item behind her back. She slowly takes a few steps forward, "I'm Price...Chloe Price... _Bang_!" With the last word, she reveals a revolver pointing it at their direction.  
/Max automatically pushes it away and Ethan drops down to the floor at the sight.

"Jesus, put that thing down!" Max exclaimed.

"Before you get someone hurt!" Added Ethan, who was still on the ground.

Chloe shakes her head at them, "Chillax, dudes. It's not even loaded... _yet_." The smirk never escaped her lips.

"I thought you believed in gun control."

"Yes," she admits, "I believe _I_ should control the gun. It's the _men_ who need to be checked."

 _Hah! I knew it! Well...sort of. It was a half-lie._

Ethan rises from the floor as Chloe puts the gun back and continues, "You trust _Nathan_ or _David_?" She glances at him, "Well, maybe _he_ would be okay. He's the exception." Ethan smiled at this, "Which reminds me...What was he talking  
/about before?"

Max turns her head to Ethan, waiting to hear the story a second time, "Well, when Max went inside the dormitory to get something, I was wandering around and I caught him harassing Kate. Needless to say, I stopped it and told him he can go bother someone  
/else."

"And this is seriously your first day here?" Ethan nods in response, "Nathan and step-douche, in one day, wow! I'm liking you more and more by the minute, _Red_. Like a regular white-knight."

Ethan noticed the nickname, but decided it wasn't worth mentioning. "That he is..." Max happily comments on the side. The room suddenly began to feel warmer, he was blushing...

"Well, thanks for taking the heat you guys. We totally smacked his punk ass down! There's no way he can take on the three of us," Chloe boasts, "That was an _epic_ win." She sighs with a smile and sits on the bed. "Anyway...Let's sneak out the window.  
/There is _one_ cool place we can hang in this hickhole..."

* * *

It was almost sundown by the time they got to where they were going. Right now, they were walking up the cliff towards a lighthouse. The sun was bathing the trees with it's diminishing rays as the birds chirped and the sea crashed softly against the rocks  
/down below. For a moment, Ethan just stood in place, reveling in it. The song of nature. The melody of the trees brushing together with the cool autumn wind, birds pecking at the bark and calling out to others—it was like music to his ears.

Max and Chloe were walking at a faster pace, but he didn't mind. The sight of a squirrel catches his eye, swift and innocent in movement. It was climbing up a tree with an acorn in hand, probably storing food for the winter. After all, _Winter is coming_.  
/Ethan shakes his head at the lame thought, smirking all the while. His eyes scan the trees for other wildlife, with a breeze shuffling them in place and blowing his hair around into his eyes. He was in a clearing, a spot to rest from the looks of  
/it, when a sudden thought brought him to wonder about his other relatives.

 _I can see why Mom and Nellie said they loved this place. Maybe I should have went with them when they came to visit Nana during the summers. Just look at what I missed out on! It's so full of life! Despite all the bullshit that's happened today, there's no denying the scenery. If only they were both here right now, with me. I wish Nell was here..._

A sudden movement among the shrubs breaks Ethan from his thoughts. Just as well, this was no ordinary animal one sees everyday. It was a deer, gracefully walking amid the smaller wildlife, just minding it's own business. It was gorgeous in both appearance  
/and quiddity. He began walking towards it as if on auto pilot, his vision would not stray away from the buck. He gets as far as about 10 feet away from it before it tilts its head in his direction. Ethan froze in place, trying to avoid any sort of  
/movement that could scare it off, but it did no such thing. Instead it stood its ground, studying him. Ethan kept eye contact with it, as if trying to communicate non-verbally, and he could feel something. He wasn't sure what it was, as if he wasn't  
/smart enough to understand it properly. Its ear flaps randomly and it turns away, returning to what it was doing before.

Ethan sighs at the animal, wondering what it was that made him feel such a way. He doesn't think about it long, however, as the sight of Max, stopped in place, enables him to walk further up the trail to meet up with her. As he gets closer, his footsteps  
/seem to make her take notice of his presence and he puts a hand on her shoulder, "Everything okay? You seem spooked." She stays silent, fixated on him, "What is it?" He asks a little nervously.

Max stammers to bring herself back, "Y-yeah, sorry, I'm fine. It's just, you..." She tightens her lips into a line, "Eh, never mind."

Now Ethan was curious, "No, come _on_ , tell me." He insists childishly, "how are you gonna start saying something and then not say it?"

She turns her head like she's trying to avoid eye contact before catching his gaze again, "This uh...This place was in a dream I had before. One that I had gotten in Mr. Jefferson's class, just before we met."

He tilted his head, "So? Daydreaming about beautiful things are pretty common." She wouldn't be mentioning it if it didn't matter, so maybe... "Wait, are you saying it has something to do with...?" He gestures to her right hand and she nods her head,  
/"Why didn't you mention it before?"

"I wasn't sure if it really mattered..." Her voice trails, hollowing with the next few words, "...but I need to talk about it now."

Ethan brushed aside the fact that she lied about it earlier and took a more gentler tone, "Tell me."

She runs a hand up her arm, nervously, "I don't remember exactly how it started...But I remember waking up, curled on the ground. The wind was so powerful it felt like I was in a category five hurricane. Trees were toppling over and cold drops of rain  
/were falling heavily like a monsoon." He notices the clenching of her fist, "I could _feel_ the pressure in the air as it all happened. But that's not the worst part..." She looks him straight in the eye, "When I had gotten to the top of the  
/trail, there was a massive tornado heading towards Arcadia Bay."

Ethan crossed his arms, "A massive tornado?" She nods, "And it was this _exact_ spot?" To his knowledge, Tornadoes weren't exactly common in Arcadia Bay. But neither was manipulating time...So who knows?

"Yes." She reiterates, "Except, everything was darker, stormier, and more apocalypse vibe."

"You think it has something to do with how you got your powers?" He asks curiously.

"I have no clue," she answered. "But I can't just ignore it, right?"

"I don't think you should ignore anything anymore, not after a day like today." He clicks his tongue, "As far as the tornado goes though, let's put that aside, at least until we get another 'sign' of it. It just sounds like a dream to me."

"That sounds good, I guess." She reluctantly agrees. A beep is heard from her pants pocket and she takes out her phone, "Oh, it's a message from Warren." Ethan gets close to her to view the message, but the glare is just awful from his angle so he just  
/let's her read it. "Even after getting beaten up, he's still a goofball." She laughs warmly, "He even sent a picture!" She turns the phone for Ethan to see. It was Warren standing in what appeared to be a classroom, giving a thumbs up while brandishing  
/a gnarly black eye. Ethan began to feel a little guilty for not staying behind to help. If he had been there, Warren wouldn't have taken a full beating. Either way, it's good that he's smiling. He seems to be one of those people who could genuinely  
/smile, even on the worst days—a damn near rare quality that Ethan wished he could possess. Max texts him back and he replies almost right after, to which she pauses for a moment before returning a smaller message.

Putting the phone back in her pocket, Max seems to catch something with her eyes. Without a word she slowly moves past Ethan and brings out her Polaroid camera. It took him a second to spot the bird that had gracefully landed on a stone behind them. It  
/was sitting there, glistening with scattered rays of the sun. It's no wonder Max was touched by it, she had an eye for that sort of thing, Ethan noticed.

Once the photo had been taken, she bags the Polaroid and blushes, "Can you not stare at me whenever I take a photo? It's embarrassing..."

"Sorry, _Maxine_ , I can't help it!" He playfully admits, "You look so natural and focused when you do it, it's rather fascinating to watch."

Everything after her name was apparently unheard by her while she passes by him with a dirty look, "If you plan to continue calling me that, then for _every_ time that you call me _Maxine..._ I'll punch you in the arm. Good?" Ethan could feel  
/the heat coming from her as she passed by, it _really_ pisses her off...and he _loves_ it.

With a shit eating grin plastered on his face, Ethan follows Max up the path to the light house, where they see Chloe sitting on a bench that overlooks the sea. You could see all of Arcadia Bay from here. The sky was painted orange with the setting sun,  
/lacing a trail of golden water running across the ocean. Seagulls were flying around aimlessly, squawking at who knows what. If he wasn't actually there, Ethan would assume he's staring at a professional painting. Max seems to get the same notion  
/as she takes out her Polaroid once again and chronicles the moment with another photo. She shakes it before putting both of them back in the bag, then walks over to sit next to Chloe.

Ethan was fine with standing so he just stood next to the bench, gazing at the distant horizon.

"Sure you don't want to be alone?" Max asks. It's true, from her body language, that's what it looks like.

Chloe grins, "Have a seat, Pete."

Max's grin matches Chloe's, " _You're_ in a good mood."

"You won't see it too often, believe me. But seeing my step- _dork_ get played makes me happy." She explains

"I can understand why," Ethan comments, "He doesn't exactly make a good first impression...Or a second for that matter."

The three of them chuckle, "David is indeed a 'step- _douche_ '." says Max.

"Yeah, I'm just sorry you guys had to experience it first hand." Chloe said, gazing off to nowhere.

"Don't be sorry, you're the one who has to _live_ with the guy..." Max replied softly. "Has he always been this way?"

A frown takes shape, "Ever since my desperate mom couldn't stand being alone anymore and dragged his ass back to our home..." She goes quiet, "...I never trusted David."

"Well, he practically jumped down Kate's throat, who was _already_ having a bad day..." Ethan crosses his arms, "You'd think he would have noticed that."

"I know her. She's cool. Maybe a little boring," Chloe states, "but only that _prick_ would bully her."

"It does beg the question, doesn't it?" Ethan asks, "Of all people, why suspect Kate Marsh of anything?"

"I thought about that too." Max says out loud glancing at him, "I think he has some kind of weird agenda."

"He has a lot of secret files." Chloe thinks out loud, " _Rambo_ still thinks he's gathering enemy intelligence." Ethan automatically looks to Max who does the same and Chloe picks up on this, grinning, "Way to try to be sneaky guys, but I _know_ that  
/look. So? Come on, dish the dirt! What was it? Snuff videos?"

Max laughs and Ethan just shakes his head, "More like creepy surveillance photos of Kate and other stuff involving Blackwell."

"This dude takes his job too seriously, he still thinks he's at war or something. PTSD bullshit." The distaste in Chloe's voice was obvious, "He has a total surveillance fetish, in fact, I worry that there might actually be spy cams in the house..."

Max says something under her breath that Ethan didn't catch. He was busy taking in Chloe's words, "Chloe, your house _is_ under surveillance."

Her eyes widen, "What are you talking about?"

"There are cameras placed all around your house." Max explains, "The upstairs bedrooms, living room, hallway, the kitchen—It's all being monitored."

"He's got it all being transmitted to some TV in the garage." Ethan adds.

She grimaces with rage, "I knew it! He is so hella-fucking paranoid! Why can't he just mind his own goddamn business!?" She releases a short breath to calm down, "I'll keep this a secret for now..."

Max tries to make her feel better, "Sometimes ignorance is bliss."

Chloe was seething with crossed arms, "No wonder I'm so fucking miserable. Everybody in this town knows everybody's secrets..."

 _If that were true, then Rachel Amber would have been found by now. Of course, that's still debatable...But I'm sure you've got secrets of you're own, don't you Chloe?_

"Then what's Nathan's secret?" Max tilts her head.

"He's an elite rich kid asshole who sells bad shit cut with laxative...And he dosed me with some drug in his room."

Chloe's words, though silent, felt like they cut through air. Ethan's mouth was agape, "He _drugged_ you?"

She nods staring at the ground, "I met him at some shit hole of a bar that didn't card me. He was too rich for the place and definitely too wasted. And he kept flashing bills..."

Max leans forward, "Don't beat around the bush, just tell me what happened."

Chloe licks her lips which had suddenly gone dry, "I was an idiot, okay? I thought that because he was so blazed up, it'd be an easy score."

Ethan listened closely to get every detail, as any information on Nathan would be welcome after today. "You needed money that badly?" Max said raising her eyebrows.

"Yep...I owe big time. And I thought I'd have enough for me and Rachel to leave, if she showed up..."

"How far in debt are you?" Ethan asked.

"Three grand, plus interest." She answers, "And before I could get a chunk of that from Nathan...he dosed my drink with some shit..."

Max stammers for a reply, "God Chloe, I can't believe this...I mean, I _do_ , but still it's just _crazy_...Then what?"

She rolls her eyes, "I know I passed out on the floor...When I woke up, that perv was smiling, crawling towards me with a camera..." Max tell her to continue and she does, "Everything was a blur...I tried to kick him in the balls and make for a quick  
/getaway, instead, I broke a lamp. Than he started to freak and I managed to bum rush the door and get the hell out." She releases yet another sigh, looking distressed, "It was insane..."

"Jesus Christ," Ethan swears, "That sounds like something you'd experience in a nightmare...What'd you do after that?"

Her lips form a wry smile, "I figured I would make him pay me to keep quiet. So...we met in the bathroom..."

Max frowned, "And then he brought a _gun_."

"That was Nathan's _last_ mistake..." Chloe states.

"What are you gonna do? Pop a cap in his ass?" Max's tone was serious, but Ethan smiled at the way she said it, "He's dangerous, Chloe, we should call the police."

"I'm not sure that would do much." Ethan remarked, "Remember what he said back in the parking lot? 'The Prescott's _own_ the pigs!'" He said in his best Nathan voice, but gets no reaction from either of them.

Chloe adds more, "He's right, it wouldn't do jack. Besides, his father is running for Mayor, and he has a lot of pull here in Arcadia. He says one word and any charge against his son would be put away." Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but she's not wrong.  
/It would still be _his_ word against _theirs_...

"Well, I won't always be there to save you..." Max quietly says.

"But you were there today, Max. You guys saved me!" She grins happily, "I'm still tripping on that...Seeing you after all these years feels like—"

"Destiny?" Max finishes. Ethan thought the same thing, though mainly in the case of them two. He wasn't sure about destiny yet. He wasn't sure about anything...

Chloe leans forward distraught by a sudden thought. Max puts a comforting hand on her back before she gets up from the bench and edges closer to the cliff. Ethan looks to Max as she moves to join her. "If this is destiny, I hope we can find Rachel...I  
/miss her, Max..." her voice was just above a whisper. Afterwards, there was a silence, with only the bird cries to fill the void of empty spaces. Chloe was shouting now, "This shit-pit of a town has taken everyone I've ever loved away from me...I'd  
/like to get a big fucking _bomb_ to drop it on Arcadia Bay and turn it in to fucking glass..."

Max puts her hands to her head, probably in dismay over what Chloe was saying. At least that's what Ethan thought. He steps forward to put a hand on her shoulder but he stops mid place. A wave of nausea overtakes his thinking and he puts a hand on his  
/forehead with closed eyes in an attempt to let the feeling go away. Then there was a distinguishable change of his senses. The temperature dropped considerably, getting much colder. The smell of the forest had gone away and the sounds he had marveled  
/at before have faded. Taking its place was the smell of gasoline, fire, broken metal, and the twisted moisture in the air, almost indescribable. He could hear fire cracking and large gusts of wind making the environment around him creak with tension.

Finally he opens his eyes and what he sees leaves him speechless.

He was in the middle of the street located somewhere in Arcadia Bay, with scattered pieces of debris spaced out on the ground. The buildings around were in disarray as most of them became engulfed by fire or caved in rooftops. Vehicles were turned over,  
/some leading a trail of flames in it's wake from the leaking gasoline. But the cause of it all was what made his mouth agape. Just the sight of it alone, made his skin crawl. A sprawling tornado, enormous in both size and girth, that was making its  
/way towards the small town.

 _This can't be real...this isn't real...No tornado has ever gotten that big!_

He waves his arms around the air, feeling the heat from the fire and the rain patter against his body.

 _But this_ feels _real. I can feel all of it, from the wind, to the rain, the fire, the...anxiety. Almost like I've been hit with a shit-load of stress..._

The sound of thunder claps in the sky, vibrating every fiber of his being as the flash went off. But in that flash, he saw two shadows. One was of a person, staring at him from across the street, for what, he didn't know, but the second was of a bear,  
/seemingly generated from where he was standing. Ethan tries to focus his eyes on the person, but as he takes a step forward, a streak of lightning cracks like a whip and pain erupts in his lower abdomen. His legs suddenly began to get weak and he  
/falls to the floor, knees first, and then by the palms.

And just like that, he was back at the lighthouse, with the setting sun and the happy go-lucky birds. Everything was back to normal, except for Ethan who was in a cold sweat, panting, and gripping the grass. The experience sapped him of all his energy  
/and he found himself struggling to keep himself from toppling even further. He felt like he was gonna heave, but after a few moments of deep breaths, he regained his composure and sat up on the floor. He wasn't sure he could stand yet. It's only now  
/that he becomes aware of Chloe's voice.

"Ethan!" She said, "What the hell is happening to you guys?"

Ethan turns to them and groans as he struggles to stand. Once he's up he sees Max, looking like she's holding something in her hands and staring towards the sky in awe. She's standing dangerously close to the edge, "Grab her." He said.

Without wasting a second, Chloe grabs her by the shoulder and spins her around which seems to break her out of her stupor. Max's legs give out and she leans on Chloe for support, "Chloe! You're here...I'm back." Her voice gets weaker, "Oh my lord, this  
/is real...it's real!" Chloe just stared at her puzzled before she gazes at Ethan, "Did you see it?"

Ethan gulps down hard, nodding his head slowly, his voice choppy, "I-it was fucking huge...Unbelievable..." He uses one hand to grip the other that was shaking uncontrollably.

Chloe was getting nervous, "Whoa, wait, Max, what's going on? You guys totally blacked out..."

"We didn't black out...It was more like a vision." Ethan mumbled under his breath, "I could feel everything that was happening..."

"The town is gonna be wiped out by a giant tornado!" Max finally says.

Chloe exchanges glances with the both of them, looking even more puzzled than before, "What are you guys talking about? Oregon gets about five tornadoes every 20 years, most of them are pretty harmless." The care in her eyes never left, "Did you guys  
/get bit by something on your way up here?"

She puts a hand on Max's forehead before it gets politely pushed away, "No, no. I _saw_ it!" She exclaims, "I could _feel_ the electricity in the air and the rain hitting against my face. There were trees and boulders being blown away!"

Chloe rubs her arm tenderly, "Max, it's okay...Just take a breath."

Max sighs, "Chloe, I'm not crazy." She eyes Ethan, "There's something else we have to tell you. Something...Hardcore."

Ethan exchanges a look with Chloe who looks back at him, "It's going to sound bat-shit crazy, but it isn't something to lie about..."

Her expression relaxes and her curiosity peaked. She turns back to Max with soft eyes, "Okay, talk to me, Max...Start from the beginning."


	8. Snowfall

**A/N : This chapter will showcase all the main character POV's. This won't happen often, only on big events, like this one...sort of. I just wanted to show the ones you'll be following in this story and, well, this seemed like a good place to do just that. **

**Anyway, let's get on with it! :)**

* * *

Chapter 7: Snowfall

 **~Chloe~**

Chloe listened to each word carefully, trying to make sure that she wasn't hearing anything that sounded crazy. But that's just it. Everything Max was telling her seemed insane! Reversing time? That can't be true...But she wouldn't make any of this stuff up, not _her_. Not with a straight face at least. And Ethan doesn't seem to be bluffing either, judging by the serious look he's wearing. Actually he looks hella freaked.

"Okay...you're not crazy." Chloe stammers, "But...high, right?" That was the only logical explanation she could think of for Max to be saying this.

" _Listen_ to me." Max said using one hand to gesture to Ethan and herself, "How do you think we saved you from the bathroom?"

Chloe chuckles nervously, "By reversing time? Yeah, okay, sure you did."

"She's not lying." Ethan says crossing his arms, "We saw it go down. You actually _died_ , Chloe. Then we were able to go back and hit the fire alarm to stop it from happening."

Chloe rolls her eyes and grabs Max by the sides of her arms, "Okay. Both of you are geeks. _That_ much is clear to me now. Two geeks with great imaginations. But this isn't an anime or a video game. People don't _have_ those powers, not in real life."

Max shakes her head, eyes shut, "I don't know _what_ this is! I don't have a single fucking clue! But...I have it. And I'm scared shitless..."

She opens her eyes and looks directly at Chloe, a gaze that gave her goosebumps from the sincerity that came with it. That look said it all. Max's words echoed in her mind as she continued processing everything. This was still unbelievable, like fucking crazy unbelievable! But Max believed it, and she believed _that_ at least. Chloe rubs her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"You need to get high, both of you." She corrected, glancing at Ethan, "It's been a hella insane fucking day and you're clearly stressed out about all of—"

"What the hell...?" Ethan mutters.

Chloe turns to him to see what's going on and what she sees leaves her breathless. Max wipes a bit of moisture that hit her cheek as bits of snow fell gracefully from the sky. It was actual snow! White, flaky, soft, cold, snow! This can't be happening...it's the middle of October, and it's not nearly cold out enough for this to be possible. This is... unnatural...Chloe lifts her hand in the air to collect the descending snowflakes, but it melts as it hits her hand. For a moment, Chloe considered the idea that maybe _she_ was the one that was high. But as she rubs her now moist palm together with her fingers—it felt too real, so she _knew_ she wasn't hallucinating this.

"Snowflakes..." Max whispers under her breath.

Chloe gets up in a slight panic, "It's like 80 degrees out, how can this be happening?"

"Climate change." Ethan responds

Max gets up as well, "Or a storm is coming."

Chloe looks around her, wildly looking at the sky and far off distances. There was snow falling all around Arcadia Bay and they could see it too. Suddenly everything they had been telling her before didn't seem so crazy anymore. She gulps down hard before trading a long look with her old best friend.

"Okay...Max...Tell me _everything_..."

* * *

 **~Warren~**

With a sigh, Warren locked his phone after reading Max's text message for the third time. He had been debating whether or not he should reply back, but her last response pretty much ended the conversation. What are you supposed to write after someone says 'kek'? He really wanted to know what it was that bothered her, but she'd tell him on her own time. Better to just leave it at that. Besides, he'd see her tomorrow during class, no sweat! He looked at his reflection from the dark monitor of his laptop. His eye was purple and swelling slightly from the beat down he got from that dick, Nathan Prescott. He was glad he managed to distract him long enough for Max and her friend to get away, but a part of him felt humiliated.

Even if he did help her escape, it was her friend that really managed to fight back and also got away with her. Whereas _he_ just laid there taking a beating...What was his name again? Ethan...something? Maybe he didn't say his last name, but either way, he seemed like a cool guy. Max mentioned that she only just met him today, but they sure seemed a lot closer than that. Warren had heard the anger in his voice when Nathan grabbed at Max—the punch was wicked cool to watch too—you don't react that way about someone you've known for less than a day.

Maybe he likes her too...? The thought saddens him slightly as he slumps his shoulders. Compared to him, what chance does _he_ have?

Warren shook the thought away, it was stupid for him to think like that. He turns on the laptop, as it boots up, the light generating from the screen fills the dark science classroom he was sitting in. Mrs. Grant would sometimes allow him to hang around the lab a bit for studying purposes. He found it more motivating than doing it in his dorm room, since, when he was _here_ , he would be locked in the environment of it, which meant less distractions and such. This time, however, he really just wanted to be alone for a while, without showing his face to the other dorm members.

As the laptop finishes its boot-up, he opens the google chrome web browser—the far more superior web browser around—and opens up Facebook. He didn't know why he was going on it, but he let his fingers fly on the keyboard without a second thought. Warren scrolls down through his feeds, observing everything that had been posted through the day. Most of them were enough to make him smile, like a few pictures of the Schrodinger cat, and a few memes here and there. He found one about Pulp Fiction that made him literally laugh out loud, until finally he stopped moving the scroll bar.

He rested the screen on that sketch Daniel had made of Max and Ethan. It really is pretty good, but he knows he can do a better job. At least, in his own way and version, that is.

 _With lots of photo shop and awesome effects!_

Warren smiled at the thought. Maybe he could take a photo that Max had already posted and fix _that_ one up? He could give it to her as a gift. With this thought, he begins his search through Max's photos, but he stops in his tracks as something in the corner of his eye begs his attention.

He gazes out the window, noticing the drops of white falling from the sky and a chill struck him. This shouldn't be happening...Warren's thoughts automatically pondered about scientific theories that could make this make sense. Climate change maybe. The economy was pretty bad, so that could be it. He swallows hard.

Or something big is gonna happen soon...

* * *

 **~Kate~**

Rays of sunlight leaked into the room through Kate's window as she sat on her bed, staring at nothing. She was deep in thought, like she had been for what seemed like forever now. She was always deep in thought, constantly thinking about one thing particular. It felt like her life was crumbling around her—all because of some stupid video from a party she barely remembers! Most of her friends haven't spoken to her, Victoria and her friends won't leave her alone, constantly bringing it up. She's been passing the video around for everyone to see, she knew that. Yet, nobody has ever come up to her and asked how _she_ was doing. How the video might have affected _her_.

Well...almost everyone. Max had approached her earlier and invited her to another tea session some time. Kate appreciated that, she enjoyed hanging out with Max and she considered her a good friend. That helped her, for a moment anyway...It wasn't enough to take away the thoughts though. These dark thoughts that loom over her other ones. All this sadness and emotional pain that she was going through...All of it could go away if she wanted it too...It would be quick and painless, she thought. But this was the devil putting words in her head—she can't let him win. Perhaps reading the bible would help her.

She reaches into her bag and pulls out the edition her mother had gotten her when she moved to Blackwell. As she gripped the book with one hand, she used the other to trace the indentations branded into the fine leather. In the past, when she was going through difficult times, it always helped her find some form of purpose in the text, and her father would say something motivational and profound. Then he'd wrap her in one of those big bear hugs that always made her feel comfortable. She found herself wishing he was here at this moment. It would be so sweet to bury her face on his chest and cry out all her frustrations away while he caresses her hair. The memory of these only saddens her even more. Her parents and sisters had seen the video too. Daddy wasn't convinced that she had done something wrong. To him, she was still his little girl, or so he said in his letter. Her sisters sent her their best wishes, with a cute card that made her smile. Mom, however, was less forgiving. She claimed that she had brought shame to her family and her church, which made this whole situation even harder.

Rage mixed with sadness suddenly boiled up inside her as she tossed the bible aside. It wasn't helping her like she hoped. Her mother and church was tossing her aside, the students that she had tried so hard to be nice to and help didn't give a shit about her, and now she had Blackwell Security officers suspecting her of something? When was it all going to end? Tears stung her cheeks as bits of white fall outside her window, so elegantly, as they made their way down. It was beautiful...Was this god trying to tell her something?

That last thought brings a new one to her mind. That boy she had spoken to earlier. Ethan was his name if she remembered correctly. Kate was always good with names, she only had to hear it once and it was engraved in her mind. Having a photographic memory helped her remember faces pretty well too. The memory of him brings a smile to her face. The way he had selflessly came to her aid when she was getting bullied by Mr. Madsen and the smile he gave her when he introduced himself, it was enough to give her goosebumps. His hair shined brilliantly red with the sun and was even able to make her forget about everything around her. When he spoke to her, it wasn't out of pity, but of sincerity. He was genuinely pure of heart. So strange for someone who doesn't follow a sort of religion. Come to think of it, he has the same presence around him that her Father and Ms. Joann have. The thought of him warms her cheeks slightly and her hand unconsciously goes to her bag again. She takes out the sticky note he had given her with his number on it.

 _"If you ever need to talk to someone, I'm only 11 buttons away."_

She smiles warmly at his words as she punches the number in on her phone and sends him a text message.

* * *

 **~Nathan~**

Nathan was sitting on a picnic table outside and groaned as he poked and prodded the cut on his nose. He had gotten it from the altercation that took place in the parking lot earlier, when that new kid punched him in the face. It had been so quick, he didn't even see it coming. That fucking ginger really needs to know his place. It was none of his business, yet he got involved anyway. Well, now he should _really_ learn to watch his back...

After the two assholes got away with that blue haired bitch, that security officer came and broke everything up. Or he tried to anyway. Nathan thought it was 'cute' how he made it seem like he has any actual authority over him, so when he told both he and the nerd he wailed on to go to the principals office, Nathan just walked away. Blood was still trickling down his nose and he felt it throb slightly as he made his way through the courtyard. The best thing for him to do was go to his dorm and wash his face, try to calm down a little. He barely made it halfway across when Mr. Jefferson beckons him from the corner of his eye.

He liked Mr. Jefferson. The teacher had become a sort of role model for him and he worked with his Father on 'other' matters. The pictures he took were a theme that matched something similar to his own. Pain. Trapped souls. Being lost in darkness...Nathan hesitantly walked over to him. He wasn't sure he wanted to be seen like this and get a lecture about it. He already got it so much from his father...

"What the hell happened this time?" He asked, frowning.

Nathan shrugged bitterly, "I was trying to take care of some business and things got a little...out of hand."

"'Out of hand?'" He chuckles darkly at this, "Do you not see the broken nose?"

Nathan winced, "I handled it. You should see the others."

Mr. Jefferson raises an eyebrow, amused, "Ah, yes. I saw the whole thing," he admits, "You mean the three that got away or the one you pummeled for no reason?"

He frowned, unsure of what to say. Mr. Jefferson spoke again, "Did you remember to take your meds today?"

Nathan couldn't bring himself to look him in the eyes. He used to see a psychiatrist every week for his anger and personal issues, and so the doctor had prescribed him a medication to assist with that. He hated them. He enjoyed the sessions over everything else, mainly because it gave him something he never thought he really had. Security. The freedom to talk about how he truly feels and to have someone respond to it. The task that would normally be filled by a Father but...his was always too busy worrying about the family legacy to truly care. A lot was expected of him in terms of the Prescott Family name, and even though his Father had told him a few things about managing certain things, it was never out of love for his son. At least, that's what it felt like. After some time, his doctor refused to continue sessions with him, so he's had to solely rely on the those damn pills he despises so much. Today, it had slipped his mind, what with everything that happened with that blue-haired-slut.

He hadn't intended for things to go down the way they did with her the night before. He assumed he used a big enough dose to knock her out cold, long enough for him to take the shots he wanted and let her go. Mr. Jefferson always said that a dulled mind was the key to true emotion in a photo. Pure and honest. He had seen it first hand himself, with Kate Marsh and... _Rachel Amber_...The thought of her sends a dark chill to settle in his gut. Perhaps that's why he messed up the dosage yesterday, because he was frightened of the same thing happening.

"Well...I'm gonna have to tell your Father about this." Nathan looks up at him, "I'm sorry, but it has to be done. Especially with what he's got planned and all, time is of the essence. You say you wanna be like me? Well it's not gonna happen." He says harshly, "Not like _this_..."

Nathan felt the rage boil up inside him, suddenly feeling the urge to scream in Mr. Jefferson's face. Instead, he furrows his brow and walks off, "Whatever."

In truth, Nathan regretted his actions from earlier. It had always been like that. He would get angry and lose focus of everything around him, then he would do something rash. He didn't want to hurt anybody—despite how it may look most of the time—but whenever he gets angry, it's as if he loses control of himself. The only person that's been able to calm him down before was the only friend he feels he has, Victoria Chase. While he prefers not to get her involved in his affairs, she's always there when he needs her to be.

He sighs, putting the phone back into his pocket. As sat there in his thoughts, he wondered: Did he get any good pictures from yesterday? Thinking this he pulls out the camera from his bag, one of the newer models that his Mother had obtained for him as a gift. He uses his index finger to turn the camera on and then browses the photo library. The shots he had taken before she awoke were blurred, nothing worth showing to Mr. Jefferson. What a waste of time and effort.

Nathan places the camera back into his bag and clenches his fist. As the white snow falls around him he's left alone, just like he's always been...

* * *

 **~Joann~**

Joann had been staring out the window in her home for an hour already, staring incredulously at the bits of white dropping from the sky. It was one of the most bizarre things she had ever seen, but also beautiful with a sense of supernatural. It wasn't a common occurrence here, especially with the temperature being as high as it was. Still it was a welcome sight.

She had hoped to see Frank at some point after their discussion earlier, but she understood. A man in his situation won't decide to change their ways in one day—old habits die hard after all. What was really bugging her, was that throughout the course of the day, Ethan had failed to contact her once! She wanted to pick him up from school once it was over, but not a single call or text was made. He was still healing from everything, Joann couldn't help but worry about him.

Despite her best attempts to not think about it, that was all she did. Luckily the shop was able to keep her busy for most of the day, but she cursed the quality of her multi-tasking. She tried to remain optimistic. Perhaps he had made a friend and they were just trying to get to know each other. Like Diana's son, Warren. She was sure the two would get along well. Her pessimistic side had been getting the better of her too, that maybe he had gotten into some sort of trouble...Her thoughts go immediately to Kate Marsh. She had heard about what happened from a few clients, who's child goes to Blackwell in the store today—it was the gossip of the school apparently. She wondered why Kate hadn't tried reaching out to her, could be she's embarrassed of the situation. A frown settles on her face. The poor thing doesn't deserve all of the bad publicity, she's such a sweet girl.

 _What would Ethan make of Kate?_ She wondered. It saddened her to think it, but growing up, Ethan was never the kindest student in school. In fact she could recall his mother telling her about how many times she'd get a call from the principle, telling her he'd done _something_ to yet another student. Not like Nellie...Such a bright girl. Straight A's and she never got a complaint from anybody. But Ethan was so different now, ever since that night. Compare him to how he was two years ago and it'd be like looking at a new person entirely. And yet, that realization was not enough to fully calm her.

The lock on the front door clinks and it creaks at it swings open. Her head jerks to the direction with joy.

"Hey, Nana." Ethan greets nonchalantly. "Sorry I'm a little la—"

She's in front of him in a second and wraps him in a bear hug, effectively cutting him off.

"Um...did I miss something?"

She releases her hold and glares at him, "Ethan Joseph Cole, where have you been!?"

He raises an eyebrow, slightly shocked by the emotion in her voice, "Did you just 'middle name' me?"

Joann ignores the question, "Why didn't you call me after you got out of school? Did you run into any trouble? Was anybody giving you a hard time? How was your first day?"

Ethan goes wide eyed and ponders for a moment before answering, "Sorry, my phone died; Just a little bit; Not necessarily _me_ , per se, but yeah; and eventful. _Very_ eventful..." He smiles at her warmly, "I'm sorry if I made you worry."

She caresses his cheek, "Of course I was worried sweetie. Now...What kind of trouble are you talking about?"

He tilts his head at her with a crooked smile, "Don't worry about it, Nana—it's nothing I can't handle. Just some stupid teenagers who think they can do whatever they want _to_ whomever they want."

"You said nobody gave you a hard time today though, right?"

"Yeah, no. Nobody tried to mess with me, but some did try to mess with a few other students." He explained.

"So you intervened?" She asked.

He nods his, "I got to play the hero today more times than I can count Nana...Like I said, it's been an eventful day." His eyes light up, "Oh, you'll also be happy to know I made a couple of friends as well."

Joann couldn't hide the big grin that spread across her face, "Yeah? Well tell me about it! Tell me about _them_!"

He sighs after a short pause, "Eh, could I take a shower first? I'm kind of exhausted..."

She hid her disappointment well, "Of course, hon. We'll talk later then."

Ethan passes by her with a smile, "Thanks, Nana. Love you!" He gives her a quick peck on the cheek before passing by her and entering his room.

Her gaze rested on the closed door, just as the smile never left her lips. Maybe she was wrong to worry so much about him. He certainly wasn't the same as two years ago...Joann knew now, Ethan was gonna be fine.

* * *

 **~Maxine~**

Max unlocked the door to her dorm room and pushed it open. Once she was inside, she plops her bag down next to her couch and collapses on her bed with a sigh. She was so tired from the day's events that she didn't even care that she still had her shoes on. Nope, she could sleep perfectly fine like this. After she and Ethan told Chloe about her powers and his 'sort of' power, it wasn't much of a shock that Chloe wasn't convinced. Why would she be? It was difficult even for _her_ to believe it! In the end, they decided it would be best if Max just demonstrated it another time. How she would go about doing that, was still to be discovered...

She tossed herself over on her bed so she was facing the ceiling. She forgot to turn on the lights, so it was almost like she was staring at pitch black if it wasn't for the moonlight peaking through the window. Max grinned happily. She was so happy about meeting up with Chloe again. All this time she was afraid of how awkward it would be or how difficult it'd be to say something. After all, five years have passed since they last saw each other, so who knew how much they had changed? But it was the opposite, it felt just as natural speaking to her as it was when they were kids. Though, Chloe sure didn't lack in the guilt tripping department...

Then there was that whole thing with David in her room. When he was yelling at her, it was like she felt something in her chest and her fist tightened at the sight of it. There was no way Max was going to stand to watch that bullshit. Chloe didn't deserve the kind of treatment she was getting from him. She was proud of herself for stepping up and taking the blame—more so when Chloe stepped in to defend _her_ —even if it _could_ mess up her scholarship here. She just had to hope that David wouldn't mention it to Principal Wells. Now that she thought about it, Ethan was the one who was _really_ getting on his nerves.

She smiles thinking about him as one of her hands begin to play with her short hair. Everything that's happened today, it all seemed to have started with him and Chloe. That can't just be a coincidence, right? He has a nice smile, one that could make any sad person feel better. Chloe was right, though—it is a little strange that someone she just met would be so protective of her, but he did the same thing with Kate, so it's not _that_ weird.

 _'Who takes pictures of a butterfly in a bathroom? Weirdos. I mean, there are butterflies outside you know...'_

She shook her head, still smiling. He thinks _she's_ the weird one...There is one thing about him Max finds strange: how comfortable she feels around him. It's like she's known him her whole life, but yet they don't know a thing about each other. Well, except for that question game they played earlier, which she's sure they'll wind up playing again. She puts a hand on her chest. There was that moment they were in the basement and again in the closet that things felt...weird. They were so awkwardly close to each other Max had to curl forward slightly, so his head was just above hers and they could feel their breathing on each other.

It's only now that Max realized her face was getting warm and she forced herself to stop thinking about it all. Better to focus on more important things, like this time travel stuff. Where would she be able to find the information though?

...

Warren! She eagerly takes out her phone and sends him a message.

 ** _-Is Dr. Graham in the house? Serious science question._**

He replies almost instantly.

 _\- I make house calls for you. What up pup? (puts on serious science face)_

 ** _-What do you know about: relativity, wormholes, time travel?_**

 _-So now I'm Dr. Who? Or Doc Brown? For what class is this for? I never got any cool time science homework, and I know this shit._

 ** _-I'll explain in detail later. If you actually help me._**

 _-Like time, my texts are infinite. Plus I have unlimited messaging. I'll make you a list of essential books. And websites. And movies. I gotta say Max, I'm intrigued by your new interest in science._

 ** _-I guess you could say it just found me! And you know I like Sci-fi. Just think about it hard, k?_**

 _-You bet! I'll send it you in a few minutes. Hit me up anytime if you have other questions. I'll be in the TARDIS getting my Delorean ready._

Max chuckled at his dorkiness before feeling rather guilty. She felt like a terrible friend for what happened earlier today. He's such a good friend to her, and she was no where near the same way to him.

A few minutes later there was a ping on her laptop and Max quickly rose from her bed and sat on the chair. Warren was true to his word and made a big list of sources for her to browse through. At the bottom there was a little message.

 _-I hope this helps, Detective Caulfield :)_

Max smiled. She'd be sure to thank him tomorrow. With this new list of sources she began examining each link carefully, all the way until her eyes gave out on her and she sluggishly made her way to the bed.

* * *

 ****Samuel****

The snow continued dropping from the sky as Samuel sat on a bench in the center of the dorm house courtyard.

"Look, Sammy. Does this mean what we think it means?"

 _Indeed it does, Samuel. This marks the beginning of the end. Just as we feared._

"Just as the spirits warned us, you mean. How long do we have?"

 _Last we checked it was about one month. One month for_ them _to figure all of this out._

"Do you think it's _them_?"

 _That was what you said wasn't it? You witnessed it yourself._

"Samuel believes he did..."

 _Than there should be no doubt, friend._

"Should we tell them? No doubt they're full of questions."

 _It may be best to see what they decide to do with their new found abilities first. Determine if they are who we think they are, and not yet another problem for this town to endure..._

"The spirits are wise. They said there would be two figures of great power to rise on the nigh of the great storm. The renditions of hope and manipulators of _Time and Space_."

 _What they are about to face, it's an abomination that must be eradicated as soon as possible, for it has been around for far too long. But they are so young...And with what happened to Rachel Amber, there is some disbelief..._

"Age is just but a number, Sammy. They—like Rachel Amber—may surprise you."

 _Only time will tell, but you are correct. This town certainly is full of surprises. In any event, they will come to us eventually...when the time is right._

* * *

 **A/N : So now the story truly begins. Consider these first set of chapters as a prologue, albeit it's a very long one :P By the way, "~" means it's a main character, while "**" means the character will only be used for a specific portion in a chapter and they might not be used as a POV again.**

 **In other news, this story has reached past 1000 views! :D It may not seem like much to some, but it certainly means a lot to me, seriously. So, thank you for reading!**

 **Please, leave a review if you can to let me know what you think! :)**

 **Anyway, I'll catch you guys next week!**


	9. Safe From Embarrassment

Chapter 8: Safe From Embarrassment

 **~Kate~**

 _The shutter of a camera clicks from an angle she couldn't distinguish. Kate couldn't make out anything that was around her really. Were her eyes even open? She was only sure of one thing and it's the 'plain as day' fact that she was tired. Almost as if she hadn't slept in days and she was just now feeling the repercussions of it. She could vaguely make out the the tightness around her wrists and she was sitting in a crouched position, her knees hugging close against her chest. She had her head leaning slightly towards the wall as the camera lens shutters again._

 _A voice echo's in the dark, menacingly, but with a soft tone._

 _"So pure...Innocent beauty at its finest." The words are said in a manner that made her shiver, but she doesn't move._

 _Her eyes felt heavy, her lips limp as she struggled to speak. There was no moving from this position—she was completely helpless to anything. This was what scared her the most..._

 _What she can only think to be a hand, caresses her cheek, lightly with the bridge of a finger, "You're a truly wonderful edition to my collection, Kate. A great starting point after Rachel Amber."_

 _Kate lets out a small whimper and the voice attempts to soothe her, "Don't you worry, it'll be over soon..." That's the last thing she hears before feeling a prick on her neck._

* * *

Kate's eyes flutter open with a gasp of air. She was sweating but she felt cold, as if she had slept naked and without the covers on her, which didn't make sense being that she was in her comfy PJ's and slept in layers of blankets. Explains the sweating anyway. Kate was shivering when she turned off her alarm clock. She had set it for a half hour before everyone wakes up, being one of the dorm managers, she tried to keep track of all that, though she admits, she hadn't been doing a very good job as of late. She's been too busy dealing with the bullying to really worry about things like the 'meals on wheels' and her religious study group. She knows to do the important things of course, like homework and attending classes. It had been a while since she'd done something more productive and to her liking.

She passes a hand through her dirty blonde hair, feeling the overnight filth she gathered from the amount she sweated during her sleep. That she felt 'icky' was putting it mildly and she would even go as far as saying she felt more like a used sock. Kate grimaces at the example she had made for herself. Maybe her nightmare was to blame, it was incredibly lucid after all. Yet, even now, she couldn't remember it well. Like it was just a distant memory...

Her phones buzzes pulling her away from her thoughts. Who could that be at 5:30 in the morning? She loosely grabs her phone off the bed side table, where she had left it charging over night. Her eyes tightly shut closed from the sudden bright light that radiated from the screen. Once they began to adjust she made another attempt to look at the notification. It was a message from Ethan. She had sent him a text last night but he never replied, so she wound up going to sleep. It had left her in a more somber mood than before.

 _-Hey! Sorry if this wakes you up_ and _for not replying back last night. My phone kind of died on me before I came home... (-_-)_

 _That makes sense..._ She messages back feeling slightly more relieved.

 _ **-It's okay! You should really keep a charger handy :3**_

 _-You're right about that...Don't worry it's on my to do list ;)_

 ** _-_ _lol_ _anyway, what are you doing being up so early in the morning?_**

 _-I could ask you the same thing...lol I couldn't sleep much last night, so after about three hours, I just started unpacking my things._

 ** _-You haven't even unpacked yet?_**

He mentioned he was new in town yesterday, but she hadn't realized he was _that_ new.

 _-Nope. My grandma decided it would be best for me go to school the very next day after I arrived, so there wasn't much time for it. It's not all bad though. I got to come to school looking like a zombie :P_

She giggles at this. He did _not_ look like a zombie...

 _-Anyway, is there a chance that you might be free for breakfast?_

 _ **-Uh yeah. Do you want to meet up and eat here?**_

 _-They serve breakfast there?_

 ** _-Yep. It's a buffet actually. It isn't the best but they have a good variety of choices..._**

 _-Say no more. You had me at buffet :)_

 ** _-haha okay. I'll meet you here at 6?_**

 _-Great! See ya then :D_

Kate locks her phone again, smiling at the lighthearted nature of their conversation. She suddenly realized how cold it was again and decided: it may be best to take a shower now. With a new found purpose, she jumps out of bed and grabs her shower supplies as well as a spare change of clothes. In seconds she was out the door and into the dorm hallway. It was dark and only two of the light panels in the hall were lit. Normally, this would be creepy to see but right now, it was an absolute bliss. Seeing other people was the last thing she wanted. She enters the shower room, thankful that no one else was here. Slowly, she began to take off her pajamas and folded them into a neat pile next to her clean ones before entering a shower booth.

She shivered as her feet made contact with the checkered tile floor. Another good perk to being up this early, was that she could use the hot water all she wanted. It's not selfish if she's not taking it away from someone, right? Kate turns the nob and surely enough the water comes down, steaming hot as it hits the ground. She reaches out her hand to test the water, wincing at the temperature but then gradually accepting it.

The scalding hot water made contact with her bare naked body, sending her to a state of relaxation. Feeling it make contact with her head and trail down the rest of her—it was one of those moments you'd want to make last forever...Kate stood there taking in the hot water, letting her muscles relax and wake up from the hibernation they were just in. After a few minutes she begins to pass on the shampoo, then the conditioner, then the soap.

Kate embraced the different fragrances as she scrubbed the products on to her scalp and massages it into her hair. They were kiwi scented, her favorite fruit. It brought her comfort with nostalgia since it was just about what everyone in her family used. Even her Father used it, though he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, with both her mother and sisters constantly buying the same brand, he sort of just accepted it. So come church time, when they would all get together, the whole family smelled like Kiwi's! Before they announced her father to come up and preach among the church, they would dub them the 'fruity family.' It was such a sweet and simpler time. Hard to believe the last time she went to church with her family was only a couple months ago...

As she finishes the soap portion, the water began to cool drastically. Someone was using the sink in the bathroom.

"Water...!" She tried to say over the shower.

"Oh...sorry." A monotone voice answers. Kate knew who it belonged to. It was Alyssa.

The blissful moment was gone, but she was finished by now anyway. After washing the soap away, she shuts off the water and wraps herself in a towel. As she steps out, Alyssa gawks at her with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth. They aren't necessarily close—they worked together on a school project once—but Kate considered her a friend and treated her as such. She is a tad clumsy, with a tendency of accidentally getting into trouble, but a good person. She waves a hand at her with her best attempt at a smile.

"Good morning, Alyssa."

"Hi Kate..." She responded back, still looking shocked.

Kate was getting nervous, "Why are you looking at me like that?" She hoped it wasn't because of the video.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stare, I just...I've never seen you with your hair down before."

Her eyes go wide and her hands instinctively go to her hair. She never showed it down before, always preferred it being put up in a bun. That way she would be easy to distinguish over her sisters. The three of them looked so much alike, despite the age difference. People were always getting confused with them at church, so she began to wear her hair that way. Adopted the style as her own.

"Oh...yeah, I don't usually let it hang much..." Kate looks down, trying not to look her in the eye.

"Well, It looks nice. You should, uh, wear it like that more often." Alyssa says awkwardly. She was clearly having trouble on where to take this conversation.

"Thanks. I'll, uh, think about it." Kate smiled mockingly, hopeful that it was enough for a passing grade.

Alyssa stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, "Anyway, now that you're done, I'm gonna..." She gestures to the brush and Kate nods in understanding, "Later, Kate."

"Bye."

The conversation ends there, Alyssa finished brushing her teeth and then enters the booth as Kate begins to get dressed. She donned on a pink bra with matching panties for underwear, a dark blue skirt with a velvet laced button up shirt. Her mother had gotten it for her birthday a little while back and she absolutely adored it. Wearing it now gave her some hope, that maybe she'll get to see her mother smile at her again. On top of it all, she wore a light black cardigan to complete the outfit.

After about ten minutes of brushing her teeth, drying her hair, and making sure she didn't look like a complete mess—she walked out of the bathroom. Her hair was in a bun again, with her stuff in her hands as she retreats back to her room. Once inside, she sets her stuff down to their rightful places and makes her bed. She was a neat freak. No point in denying it. It came with growing up in her household, so it was expected of her. Now it was more out of habit than anything.

Her phone vibrates on the table and she checks the message but keeps it locked. It was Ethan saying he was leaving the house now. Right on time! Grabbing her daily items (I.D, wallet, keys, bible) she reaches for her bag and places each of them in there carefully. Putting her hands on her waist, she ponders about whether she missed something. Scanning her room with her eyes, they rest on a rabbit cage settled into the corner. How could she forget? Her black and white bunny, Alice, scrunches up at her incoming presence, sniffing with its little nose at the top of the cage.

Kate opens the top door and caresses the base of its head, "Sorry I haven't been very attentive, Alice. I've been going through some things..." It squints its eyes, enjoying the pleasure of where Kate was petting. She knew it was her favorite spot, "I have to go eat breakfast now, but I'll be back later, okay?" She refills the rations inside Alice's cage before closing the gate. As she turns around, she locks onto her favorite instrument placed next to her book case. Kate frowned at the lonely sight of it.

 _I wish I could get myself to play my violin, but I just don't feel the spark for it...Maybe later this week?_

She shakes away the thought and does a double check to make sure everything was secure, before walking back into the hallway and locking the door behind her. People were just now exiting their rooms to start the day, she had just barely managed to avoid them. Max's door was closed, still sleeping probably. That _is_ like her... She spots Victoria's door creaking slightly open and takes that as her cue to exit the building. No one says a word to her as she passes by, either because they don't want to be seen talking to her or because they're just too tired to care. She hoped it was the latter.

Kate takes her first steps outside for the day, and what a beautiful day it was. The lush green trees that surrounded the yard swayed with the wind, moving in unison like a rehearsed dance. Small beads of water blanketed the grass, causing it to sparkle beautifully as the sun hit it with its rays. With her hair being tied up, she had little protection against the gentle breeze that kissed at her cheeks. The windows were covered with morning dew, thanks to the mesmerizing snow fall that had occurred last night and the temperature being so high. Her shoes squelch as it makes contact with the stone steps outside the door and continue to do so while making her way across.

What surprised her was how she didn't see any staff members yet. Kate realized she woke up pretty early, but not even Samuel, the school maintenance man, was around. He's usually the first to be up, she had noticed. Of course, he could be getting breakfast as well; after all, it was welcome to both students _and_ staff. Kate Marsh didn't think much of the man, never really bothered if she was being honest. He always looked kind of greasy and unusual, but didn't seem too bad. Unapproachable, maybe, but then again, she never really took the time to speak to him before. The only time she did was when she moved in and she couldn't recall their conversation, only that he spoke in philosophical terms.

Passing through the courtyard, Kate found her way to the breezeway; but there was something that paused her flow. In almost the exact same place, he had questioned her before, Mr. Madsen was standing there, nursing a cup of coffee. The steam was emanating from the drink, rising past his neatly trimmed mustache. Kate Marsh sighed. She needed to get by him, but how would she get by without him bothering her?

 _Guess I'll just have to try and walk past him if I can. But what if he tries to bother me? I'm not sure I can handle that..._

One hesitant step into the courtyard and Mr. Madsen locks his eyes on her. Kate shudders, not knowing what to do as he begins to walk towards her direction. He doesn't get very close, however, before a voice enters the area. Kate cranes her neck to where it came from, surprised by who it was.

"Mr. Madsen, good morning." He greets him with a wave of his hand.

The security officer looked him up and down, grimacing slightly before plastering smile, "Good morning, Mr. Jefferson." It was clear to her that he didn't like him very much, though it seemed like he didn't really like _anyone_...

Mr. Jefferson turns to Kate with a smile, "Kate? I'm surprised to see you up so early."

Kate stammers for an answer, "Yeah, I just, wanted to get some breakfast in a little early, that's all."

He nods his head, rubbing at the scruff he always wears, "Ah I see..." The photography teacher gives Mr. Madsen one quick glance before turning back to her, "Since you're here, is there any chance I could bother you with something? It'll only take a second, just need your opinion on something."

Kate noticed the irregular way he was posing his eyes. Mr. Jefferson was one of those teachers that would try communicate with the students in a way to their liking, so he used things like sarcasm and old slang words to try and spice things up in class. It only took another second to realize what he was doing—trying to get her out of here!

She nods almost too eagerly, "No, I don't mind at all. I'd be happy to help."

He smiles, "Great, thank you, Kate." She walks past him and he puts a hand on her back to lightly push her forward, "Mr. Madsen, please excuse us."

She managed to catch a sideways glance at the chief, watching him glare at the back of their heads. He was really mad about that, but she still didn't understand why he suspected so much of her...One thing was certain though, Mr. Jefferson saved her.

Once they made it up the steps to the front yard lawn, he spoke up, "Are you okay? I could see the look he was giving you."

"I'm fine," she half-lied, "thank you for the help back there, Mr. Jefferson. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't..."

"No need for 'thank you's' Kate, you've helped me plenty of times during and after class." He admits, "Besides, Mr. Madsen may say he's just doing his job, but he's just a paranoid jackass. Pardon my french."

They were walking past the picnic tables now. She wondered if she should tell him about yesterday, after all, she could trust in Mr. Jefferson, right? She decided to do so, "He tried to bully me yesterday, gave me a warning that he was watching me..."

He frowns, "I'm sorry to hear that, Kate. It's not the first time he's done something like that."

The grass here was also covered in beads of water, shining with the rising sun. With the serene sound of the fountain island flowing with water, it made the outside sound peaceful. "That's okay. Someone came and helped me, kind of like you did just now."

He raises an eyebrow and chuckles, "Really? And who was this white Knight of yours?"

She considered that for a moment, "You wouldn't know him, I don't think. He's new here."

"New kid?" He looks away before putting a name to the thought, "Yes, the transfer student. Something, Cole, right?"

Kate tilted her head, it had just dawned on her that she didn't know his last name. "I'm not sure, he only mentioned his first name: Ethan."

He clicks his tongue, the universal gesture of 'I've connected the dots,' "Yes, that's it. Ethan Cole." He pauses briefly, "Well, I'm glad he managed to assist you. There's enough to worry about without adding bullying to the mix.

Kate gulped down, "It's been happening a lot recently I'm afraid..." Does Mr. Jefferson know about the video?

From the solemn look he gave after, she had to assume he did. They enter through the front doors of the building, feeling the draft of the A/C collide with the air from outside. Once they're standing in the center of the hall, Mr. Jefferson turns to her, "Well, I have to go prepare for today's lesson."

Kate smiles, "Okay, thanks again for your help, Mr. Jefferson."

"No problem. And listen..." He puts a hand on his shoulder, "try not to dwell so much on all the bullying okay? If you ever need help with anything, my door is open."

"Thank you..." Kate frowned slightly, thinking about the situation she was in.

He seemed to pick up on this, and smiles, "Don't you worry, it'll be over soon _..._ "

His words send a chill up her spine as he walks away to his classroom, leaving her alone in the hall. Those words...she heard them before. But where?

Kate's hand instinctively reaches for the cross around her neck. She remembers some things; white walls, flashes of light going off, the feeling of being tired. Nathan Prescott...She remembered him specifically from the party, but what did that have to do with this?

She decided she would think about it later and took the double doors on her right towards the cafeteria.

* * *

Twenty minutes pass and there was still no sign of Ethan. Having only gotten something light to not start eating without him, Kate was still very much hungry. She looked over at the buffet line for the umpteenth time and watched as the students filled their plates. Eggs, bacon, potato wedges, yogurt. They had so many options to choose, from as little as cereal to something more high tech like a waffle machine, though there was always a really long line for it. She had gotten some yogurt and a cup of tea to settle her stomach until he showed, but he was no where to be seen.

 _Of course he didn't show. Nobody wants to even be seen with me, let alone eat with me._

The cafeteria had filled up since she arrived. Before, there were only a couple of students and a few staff members, making it easy to avoid being noticed. But now? The room was almost packed to the brim with her fellow students. Being a small school, the mess hall wasn't exactly the biggest, but just enough to fit the size of the student body. She hated crowds. And she dislikes being the center of attention, now _especially_ with the video of her going around. Kate could hear them. All of them, whispering her name as they talk about her behind her back. The words 'religious slut' often got tossed around as well as 'fake whore'. She won't lie and say she doesn't sin—everybody does—but she's not a bad person. Why was everyone treating her so poorly?

For a moment, Kate thought about leaving, unable to bear the gossip fluttering in the air, before a figure settles into a seat across from her. It wasn't who she was expecting, but they're certainly welcome.

"Hi, Kate." Max said, putting down her bag and setting her tray on the table. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans along with a yellow shirt that had a drawing of a chibi interpretation of a deer. It was really quite cute. On top of that, she wore her usual grey jacket. She's overheard some of the girls mock her for that before, but Kate thought it suited her, and despite her wearing it almost everyday, she still manages to look good with it. Surely, Warren would agree with her...Either way, Max doesn't care what other people think, and Kate admired that about her. Max was stronger than she could ever be.

"Hey, Max." She replied, frowning, "You don't have to sit with me if you don't want to."

Max craned her neck, "Don't be ridiculous, I _want_ to sit here." she takes a bite into her scrambled eggs and swallows before talking again, "Besides, we've been talking about having tea again..." She waves her bottle of ice tea in a playful manner, generating a smirk from Kate.

"That's not exactly what I had in mind..."

Max smiles, "Relax, Kate, I'm only teasing." She glances at the empty space in front of her, "Have you eaten already?"

Kate shook her head.

"Why not? Are you feeling okay?"

Kate shook her head again, "No, it's not that. I was waiting for someone to get here, but he hasn't shown up yet."

Max nods taking another bite of her eggs, "Bummer...I'm sure they'll show up, don't worry. Who is it?"

"It's Ethan, actually." The mention of his name makes Max suddenly more attentive. Perhaps she needed to elaborate more? "When I spoke to him yesterday, he said he was your friend."

"Yeah, yeah, no. We're friends." She chuckles out nervously, "So, he asked you to have breakfast with him or did you ask him?"

Max was starting to act kind of strange... "He asked me this morning, but does that really matter?"

Her face returns to normal, "I suppose not." Kate noticed the slightest hint of disappointment in her voice. "He must have a good reason for being late. Did he send you a message at all?"

"No." Kate had checked her phone every few minutes while waiting, "No calls or even a text."

Max nodded her head, "I'm sure he has his reasons. He's not really the type to stand somebody up, at least not from I learned about him yesterday."

"He didn't strike me as one to do that." Kate admitted. But how much did they really know about him?

"Exactly. So cheer up, I'm sure he's—" Max is interrupted by the sound of the door opening violently. The abrupt sound manages to catch everyone's attention and all eyes focus on the person who was still hanging to the metal bar of the door. It was a boy, wheezing as he attempts to catch his breath. He must have been using the metal bar as support, because he was barely standing up as it is like _that_. "Speak of the devil..."

Only now, Kate realizes it was actually Ethan. Coming under a light, the glowing red hair confirms it. He seemed to be wearing some dark blue denim jeans with a white and blue baseball tee. The cafeteria continues with its previous discord as he lets go of the metal bar and tries to get his footing right. His eyes widen back and forth from disorientation, until finally his gaze settles in their direction. She and Max glance at each other before reverting back to the scene. With every step, a wheeze was let out until he finally makes it to their table. Without warning, he collapses onto the seats next to Max, putting his head on her lap.

Awfully strange to do to someone you only met a day ago...Max looks up at her, unsure of what to do. Kate was at a loss too, so she shrugged. Awkwardly, Max began to lightly pat his head, "There, there...?" Ethan responded with a moan. Max spoke again, "You don't have asthma do you?" he shakes his head, "Then, is everything okay?"

He mumbles something incomprehensible.

Kate leans forward, "What did you say?"

He leans his head up slightly, "Fooood..."

 _Oh my gosh..._

As soon as she and Max made eye contact, the two busted out into laughter. He's twenty minutes late, gasping for air like its his dying breath, and all he has to say is 'food'? Her cheeks stretch at the curls from her smile and Kate realizes, this is the second time he's made her laugh like this. Something that's become uncommon in these past few days. It was a rare occurrence and she wondered why it was _he_ that brought it out of her...

It appears he has the same effect on Max as well. "Here," she says patting him so he could get up, "Would a little bacon help?"

He sluggishly lifts himself into an upright position and with a loose grin, accepts the bacon. He bites into it and sighs with joy as he savors the greasy flavor. Once the bacon is gone and he finishes chewing, he speaks properly, "Hey guys..." He still seemed dizzy and exhausted.

"What took you so long to get here?" Kate asked, trying her best not to sound too direct.

"Some things happened, and...well...I had to..." He finishes with a sigh.

"Could have at least sent a message, Ethan." Max mentions.

"Now hold on a minute," He says raising a finger. He takes out his phone, "If you would kindly look over to my phone here, you would see...uh..." his eyes widen staring at the screen, "uh...a bunch of...red spots..." Kate couldn't stifle the laughter that escaped her. He shakes his head before putting the phone down, "Okay, I guess the message didn't send, but I was too busy running."

Kate raised an eyebrow, "Why were you running?"

He licked his lips promptly before beginning, "Remember when I messaged you, saying that I was getting ready to leave? Well my grandma told me earlier that the bus that takes students to Blackwell was all the way in front of the Two Whales Diner. Only problem was, when I got there, the bus had literally _just_ left! And the other one wasn't coming for another hour!" he took a breath before continuing, "I didn't want to leave you hanging here, so I wound up running the whole way over."

"Why didn't you just ask your grandmother to drop you off?" Max asked.

"She was already going to work and I didn't want to bother her." He answered.

Kate was touched that he made such an effort just so she wouldn't eat by herself. Now she felt like an ass for thinking so negatively about him being tardy. "You didn't have to make that much of an effort." She said to him.

He grinned at her, face still slightly drained of color, "Eh, don't worry, it wasn't just about you. The buffet was a pretty good motivation too."

The three of them chuckle at that. A few moments later and his breathing goes back to normal, "Well I'm glad you're hungry, because I know I am." Kate says, "Now why don't we—" The sight of something in the corner of her eye causes the words to choke in her throat. It was Victoria and her posse (Taylor and Courtney), coming right this way. She had done so well of avoiding them this morning, why couldn't it stay like that? Victoria was wearing an expensive black button up sweater with a yellow and black spotted collar folded out the top, as well as a black skirt and black leggings that were fading from the stretch. She also had a noticeable yellow spot of paint on her face, probably from yesterday...

Victoria steps up to the table and Kate looks down, averting her gaze. "Well, well, well. A guy comes tumbling in and automatically goes to you, huh? Must be one of your admirers from the party."

Kate's fists tighten their grip on the hemming of her skirt.

"What's the matter Kate? Cat got your tongue?" Her friends snicker, "It's alright, I'm sure all the other guys you made out with wouldn't mind a second go at it."

Her face began to heat and Kate could feel the tears begin to well up. Max comes into earshot, "Leave her alone, Victoria."

"What?" She asks casually, "I'm only reminding her of what she really is. That way, before she starts spouting all her bullshit about abstinence and religion, she knows that she's only lying to herself."

Kate manages to choke out, "No...I..." The tears were threatening to fall.

"No, you know what? You're right Max." She says, "Maybe I shouldn't just say it to her. I should make a web page of it, for the whole world to see, rather than just social media."

Kate's eyes widen at this and meet Victoria's, cold as steel. She pouts her lips mockingly, "Aw, don't cry. I'm only trying to help you Kate, honest. You won't get anywhere with lying about who you are."

Both Taylor and Courtney laugh obnoxiously behind her, sending Kate's head down in shame. If Victoria does that, then she would be branded on the internet forever...There would be no end to the lies and embarrassment. Kate clutched at her arms as the hot tears began to stream down.

"You know, that's really good advice." A voice said. Kate lifted her head towards the person talking, "Just for future reference though? If you want to advise someone with words of wisdom, it's customary that you _follow_ that same advice. Otherwise, your words don't really mean anything."

Victoria cocked her towards Ethan and put a hand to her waist, "Excuse me?"

"Well I mean, look at you." He waves a hand at her, "So beautiful on the outside—like a nine out of ten in my book! But on the inside?" He visibly cringes, "Girl, you're not even past a _five_ , and that's saying something..."

Max chuckles silently to herself and Kate could only stare at Victoria. Her face changes from confident to appalled in seconds, "Who do you think you are?"

He shrugs his shoulders, grinning, "Alright, I'll give you _some_ credit for wearing that paint on your face. Finally trying to _wear_ the ugly right?" He laughs to himself, "Did you even shower since yesterday? I mean, jeez, that's pretty embarrassing." Victoria purpled with Taylor and Courtney staring at each other, unsure of what to do as Ethan continues, "Now if you don't mind, we'd like to be left alone. Go on, shoo!" He clicks his tongue twice as if he were speaking to her like a dog.

It looked as if Victoria was going to breathe fire any moment now, "How _dare_ you speak to me like that?"

Ethan holds up a hand to his mouth, "Oh, I'm sorry. That's how you communicate with a _bitch_ isn't it?"

Victoria stared daggers into the three of them, before resigning with an exasperated sigh, "This isn't over!" she growled.

"I'll be sure to hold my breath!" He manages to throw back as she stomps away.

Kate wiped away the tears with her sleeve, speechless over what just happened. He actually beat Victoria at her own game! Like it was no problem at all!

"Dude, that was _so_ bad ass!" Max says, lightly elbowing his arm.

He shrugs, "I get a little sassy when I'm hungry."

Her gaze meets his green eyes and she knew then that that was a lie. He had really done it for her.

Ethan forms an impish grin, "So...breakfast?"


	10. A Job Offer

**A/N : Merry Christmas! :D**

* * *

Chapter 9: A Job Offer

 **~Chloe~**

 _Chloe firmly held onto the snow globe her father had given her, examining it out of boredom. As silly as it may seem, it always seemed to fascinate her. She enjoyed the intricate design of the rocks and snow. How it bulged out in the right places, and the little particles floating about in the water—guarding the light house that stayed sealed inside. The whole thing was hella cool to her. It was also one of the only things that remained from her father. Her real father, not Lieutenant Jackass._

 _She inwardly scoffs at the idea of him. They had gotten into an argument the night before, but it was the same speech as all the others. 'Don't go sneaking out at night, don't hang out in places like the junkyard, stop smoking weed!' David is an infuriating man, so why her mom decided to marry him is beyond her. Still, someone's gotta be happy in this house, and it certainly wasn't her. Chloe just wanted to get out of Arcadia Bay, as quick as possible. The sooner she was out of this shit stain of a town, the sooner she could start her new life. And with Rachel by her side, they'd be unstoppable._

 _Her head snaps to the sound of her door opening, revealing that it was none other than Rachel herself. Rachel Amber. Her best friend. Her angel...She was wearing a blue and black plaid shirt with a black spaghetti strap underneath it, along with a pair of black skinny jeans and blue striped converse._

 _"Hey, babe." She greets her with a smile, "I'm surprised you're up, it's not even past noon yet."_

 _Chloe smirks at her, "Well you know what they say, early bird gets the worm." She flips the snow globe upside down, letting all the fake snow scatter from the base, "And all that other nonsensical bullshit."_

 _Rachel rolls her eyes at that, "The only reason you think it's nonsensical is because you're not actually trying to go for the worm."_

 _"Whatever." Chloe grins, "Aren't you supposed to be at school right now?"_

 _"Morning teacher called in sick," She explained, "So, I thought I'd pay a visit to my favorite diva." Chloe squints her eyes at her playfully as she jumps on the bed to lay next to her._

 _She sets the snow globe on the floor next to her suitcase. It wasn't so much a suitcase at this present moment, more like a recycling cabinet for containing all the bottles of beer she drank recently. She'll have to empty that out later._

 _"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Miss Amber?"_

 _Rachel furrowed her eyebrows, "A girl can't visit her best friend on her downtime?" She lays her hand out between them and Chloe takes it, locking their fingers together._

 _"Of course a girl can," She says, "but you're smiling like you slept with a hangar in your mouth."_

 _"What are you talking about? I'm always smiling!"_

 _"No, but you have this look in your eyes." Chloe states, "I can't really make out..." Then it hit her, "You had sex, didn't you!?"_

 _A blush takes her cheeks and she presses her lips into forming a line, "Guilty as charged." The two burst into a slight giggle and laughter._

 _Chloe uses one hand to bump her shoulder, "Well come on then, spill! Give me some deets! Who was it with?"_

 _She tilts her head with a pout, "I can't say..."_

 _Chloe narrowed her eyes, "But you're going to. You did not come all the way over here just to drop that shit on me." Rachel laughs at her words, "Come on, why can't you tell me?"_

 _"I'm sorry, I just can't." She smiles at her, "I can tell you about him though. Hell, I already have before!"_

 _Her eyes widen, "So this is the same guy as before?" Chloe couldn't recall much, just how enamored Rachel was with him._

 _Rachel nods her head, "He's amazing, Chloe. He's a photographer—a really good one—and he always asks me to model for him! I mean how cool is that?" Rachel was naturally photogenic, with a beauty about her that was difficult to match around here. Being a model was actually what she wanted to do as her profession. It's like she's living the dream already..."I feel so happy when I'm around him, like I just want to be with him all the time."_

 _Chloe visibly cringes, "Girl, you sound like one of those love sick teenagers from a corny chick flick."_

 _She laughs, "No arguments there. I wish you knew what I meant though, Chloe. I mean...This guy. Ever since I met him, he changed my life."_

 _Chloe's heart aches at her words. That's what Rachel had done for her a long time ago. Since the day they met at the Two Whales, Rachel Amber had changed her life for the better. After Max left, Rachel helped fill the daunting void that remained._

 _"But, we're still leaving Arcadia Bay together, right?" Chloe asked, "Or have you forgotten about our dream since you've been off making out with your new boy toy?"_

 _Rachel looked deep into her eyes and sighed, "How could I forget?"_

 _"Well it seems like you already have." Chloe mumbles, "I don't want to hold you back, so if you'd rather run away with Dr. Dreamy..."_

 _She places a hand on Chloe's cheek, "That dream will come true Chloe, no matter what. We're going to leave Arcadia Bay and take on the world, together." Their hands tighten their hold on each other. "I promise."_

 _The two lay there with each other for awhile before Rachel picks up her phone and turns it to them, "Now, quit moping you prima donna, and take a selfie with me!"_

 _Chloe gave a rebellious grin and stuck her middle finger up at the lens as the flash went off._

* * *

The memory fades away as the music from Rachel's mix-tape comes to an end. Chloe took another drag from her joint as she gazed at the picture of her with her missing best friend.

 _'I promise'...Right. Where did you go, Rachel?_

She sets the photo down and sighs out a breath. They always leave eventually. That's what she had told herself a long time ago anyway. Everyone she ever cared about, they would always leave and she would be alone...No matter how much things got rough and she just wanted God or whichever asshole that controlled everything to take pity on her, the pain never stopped. First her father left her, so he was initially the one to blame for fucking up her life, but then Max left, which may have been the icing to the cake...For two years she never felt so alone...until Rachel came along. But now, she's gone too...She left her here, even when she promised she wouldn't. Unless she...

Chloe shook her head. There was no way she...No way! She was alive! At least one good thing happened. Something so out of the blue that she couldn't believe it when she saw it. Or 'her' to be more specific. Max came back! Her closest and dearest friend from forever ago. The one she'd made promises to take over Arcadia Bay with as pirates. The one she could tell all her secrets to or steal a hug when she needed it. It may be long over-due, but she's just happy to see her again. Her friendly natured personality hasn't changed, which Chloe couldn't be more thankful for, as a Max Caulfield that didn't care about other people just wouldn't really befit or deserve the name.

She smiled at the thought of her childhood friend, taking another puff from the dwindling joint. If there was one thing that's changed, it's the amount of excitement that happens around her. Growing up, Chloe was always the one to get them into all sorts of trouble. Like when they sneakily tried to try out her parents' wine for the first time. Or when they were on the swings in her backyard and they would push each other as high as possible til they flew off. Max would always get scared and jump off for fear that she would fall on her face and Chloe would always laugh about it.

But their reunion mimic'd a moment out of an anime or some shit. And everything else that came after made it seem like it even _more_ so. Chloe still couldn't believe it, how Max saved her life after meeting for the first time in five years. And by using time travel! Though, that was the part Chloe had the most difficulty putting much faith in. It's not that she didn't trust Max, it was just a little too far fetch'd to seem true. Then that crazy ass snow fell down...and she wasn't sure _what_ to believe in after that. Whether she can control time or not, she _did_ save her life. A couple seconds later and Nathan Prescott would have shot her dead...

And now, Nathan was going to be watching Max...Chloe didn't know how to feel about that. Was that her fault? Had she made Max an enemy in Nathan's eyes? Regardless, there was no way she was gonna let that psychotic rich dick hurt Max. Not on her watch! She'll have Max's back, just like she had hers; with both Nathan _and_ David.

Chloe closed her eyes and smiled wistfully as she finished off what remained of her joint. Max was so cool for stepping in and taking the blame the way she did. Even if it did put her on her step-ass's shit list, he couldn't do jack to them when she showed up! It was the most unstoppable Chloe felt since Rachel had left...No. Even longer than that. Rachel is her best friend, no doubt about it. But Max? She hesitated to admit it, as if she'd be hurting Rachel in some way. No one can replace Max...She barely spent a day with her and it was one of the best of her life! In fact, _when_ they find Rachel, she was sure that the both of them would quickly become friends.

They would be getting into all sorts of trouble now, just like when they were kids! Only now, Max comes with a bit of baggage.

 _If it's true that is...but why wouldn't it be? Max has a great imagination—we both do. It came with our growing up together. But she wouldn't lie to the point where she'd be having a panic attack. She was hella freaked! And Ethan too..._

Her eyes flutter open and stare a thousand miles away towards the ceiling. Ethan...Some new guy in town that just so happens to get into trouble on his first day here. Such a weird kid, though, he sure knows how to make a good first impression. He helped Max back in the parking lot, saved Kate with David, assisted in saving her life, and according to them, he could walk through Max's time rewind...Chloe didn't get the chance to speak to him much, and to be honest, she didn't really care at the time. She was more interested in speaking to Max, but he definitely got her attention.

He has dark red hair—which is funny being the opposite to her blue—that glows under the light of the sun. And he has piercing green emerald colored eyes, almost as sharp as Max's blue ones. From what she could tell yesterday, they seemed closer than any other two people who just met would be. As if they shared similar...Attributes? Mannerisms? Chloe couldn't find the right words for it. Well, it was a long day yesterday, and _a lot_ happened with the both of them involved, so maybe it makes sense in that case. Sooner or later, the three of them would hang out again, and Chloe could make a better consensus of him then.

On that note, was Max free today? Chloe reached over and grabbed her phone on the side. After clicking Max's name, she could see the past messages they had sent each other last night. It was just her teasing Max about her new abilities and the freakiness that occurred with the snow. Before Max passed out, Chloe had asked about giving her demonstration of it as proof, and she didn't reply. Chloe pumped out a message to her friend with her thumbs.

 _-u there Mad Max?_

 ** _-Like I said. Always for you. :):):):)_**

Chloe rolled her eyes. Emoji's were so lame! She had to break the habit from her.

 _-NO EMOJI!_

 ** _\- :(_**

 _-busy 2 day?_

 ** _-Yeah. Blackwell gives 2 much homework, I swear._**

 _-really. That's the excuse_

 ** _-What's that supposed to mean?_**

 _-Just seems like u r trying to avoid showing me these 'powers' of urs..._

 ** _-Oh yeah? I don't have class tomorrow morning. We can hang out then._**

 _-That's moar like it! Breakfast at the 2 whales then. On me._

 ** _-Great! It's nice to have minions. Can Ethan come?_**

Chloe considered that for a moment before replying.

 _-the ginger? Yeah, sure, bring him along. Pays for himself tho._

 ** _-Kek. I'll let him know. It's gonna be fun (^^)_**

 _-NO EMOJI_

Chloe closes her phone, smiling at the newly made plans. She wished they could do something today, seeing as how she has no plans whatsoever. But, she would figure something out...She was gonna have to get off of her ass and leave the house, though. The sound of her stomach rumbling is suddenly made aware to her. Getting some food in her belly might be a great way to start.

* * *

Chloe enters the Two Whales diner, a restaurant she'd been going to her whole life, since her mom practically runs the place by herself. She enjoyed it though, especially now, eating breakfast at her house just reminds her of the times with her father. Sometimes, she would wake up extra early to help her dad make breakfast in bed for her mom. He would tell her old stories of the things he did with her grandparents and when she laughed, he'd warn her to quiet down to keep from waking her mom up. And she'd smile at him and he'd smile back...The smile that could always brighten her day.

She doesn't sit at her usual booth today, instead, taking a seat at the bar facing her mother. The usual diner regulars sat on the spots down from her, like officer Corn, the truck drivers that pass through every other day, and R.J. MacReady—who's probably shifting in with old man Burt outside, protesting about how the fish are dying in Arcadia Bay. The soon-to-be Mayor 'Dickhead' Prescott's fault, or so she's heard.

If there was one thing she enjoyed about the diner, other than the food, it was the amount of gossip the clients passed around to her mother. One time, Chloe just sat at the diner for half of the day, and she was hearing all sorts of rumors and tall tales of the different events happening in this crazy little town. But the name Sean Prescott, she noticed, was on the lips of a lot of people recently.

 _And so is his son, the fucking creep._

Chloe spins in her stool once before her mother grabs her attention.

"Good morning, darlin'." She said with a sing song voice.

Chloe replied with a half decent smile, "Morning, mom."

Joyce leans in, taking off her beanie and kisses her on the forehead. Chloe winces at the smooch, retrieving the stolen beanie right after.

"What do you want to eat today, babe?" Mother asked.

Chloe clicks her tongue, "How about...lunch for breakfast? Burger and fries?"

She laughs, "Of course, sweetie. Comin' right up." She turns around and begins placing the meat patty on the grill and then proceeded to set up the rest of the ingredients. "So tell me. I heard a little rumor that _Max Caulfield_ was at our house yesterday...Is that true?" Chloe's eyes widen as her mom glances at her sideways.

 _Shit. David must have ratted on her! Well, she doesn't need to know the whole truth._

"Uh, yeah...yeah she was. Isn't that great?" Chloe replied.

"Oh yeah, it's fantastic! Do you know how long she's been here for?"

"A month, give or take..."

"And that little rascal hasn't chimed in to say hello at all?" She asked, feigning hurt.

Chloe chuckled lightly, she had the same reaction...dialed up a bit more of course. "Chill out, you'll be able to tomorrow. We're going to have breakfast here."

Her mom's eyes brightened and she flips the patty over on the grill, sizzling as it reconnects with the surface, "Oh good! While she's here, than maybe I can ask her why she thought it was a good idea to bring weed into the house..."

Chloe bowed her head, trying not to make eye contact as her mother glared holes into her. She was caught...

With her staying silent, Mom continued, "But its funny, I don't think I've ever known Max to do something like that; but I sure know who does..."

Chloe lifts her head and admits it, "Okay, fine. Yes. It was mine. It was _my_ weed. But it's also _my_ room, I'll do what I want in it."

Joyce puts a hand on her waist, "You know David doesn't like that stuff in the house."

"David doesn't like a lot of the shit I do in the house."

"And for good reason, most of the time." Her mom defends.

Chloe rolls her eyes, "Please, he treats us like we're his family platoon!"

She tilts her head, "Now, Chloe, you _know_ that's not true. He cares about us."

Chloe lets out a frustrated sigh. There was no way her mom was going listen to her. The skeptical bastard has her wrapped around his finger..."Whatever."

The silence was palpable between the two of them. They had gotten the attention of just about everyone in the diner. But after they stopped arguing, things got quiet again, with only the symphony of plates and utensils to fill the reticence. Her mother went back to the grill and finished making her burger before placing it in front of her. Chloe stared at the food in front of her, the steam still rising from it having just been taken off the grill.

She takes a bite of one of her fries when her mother breaks the tension, "That's good to know though...That Max is still willing to do anything for a friend, like taking the blame for something that could ruin her academic life." Chloe shudders at the thought of it, Max's dream ruined because of _her_ , "I'm sure nothing bad will happen to her, but it's nice to see how she truly cares about you, Chloe. Just like before. Just like always."

Unable to hide the slight smile that curved her lip, she eyed her mom briefly before digging into the burger. For the next five minutes, it was back to silence, only this time, it was led into it on a high note. Chloe tore away at the burger with messy fingers as the meat salivated after every bite. Once the plate was empty, Chloe stole a napkin and cleaned off the grease that remained.

Her mom took the plate from her and placed it in the dishwasher before approaching her, "By the way, what are your plans for today?"

Chloe let out a small belch before replying, "Eh, don't know yet...Why?"

She leaned in closer so no one else could hear them, "I was speaking to Joann earlier and she mentioned that she was in need of a few helpers for the festival."

Chloe narrowed her eyes at her, "Come on, mom! I don't need you doing any favors for me...I can find a job on my own."

" _Relax_ , baby." She told her in a calmly manner, " _She_ was the one who came to _me_ about it, asked if you'd be interested."

She raised an eyebrow, she certainly wasn't expecting this, "Oh...Did you tell her anything?"

Her mother shook her head, "No. All I said was that I'd relay the information to you. What you do with it is your choice...But...If I were you—"

Chloe slants her eyes, "You would take the job offer?"

"Well...yeah." She sighs.

Chloe bows her head in thought, "I don't know...I feel like I'd have to watch a couple of snot nosed little _Satan's_ the whole time..."

"But it's still a job." She reminds her, "You could use the money and you already said you don't like working _here_." Chloe was still hesitant, even though she was in desperate need of the money, how much would Joann need to know of her situation. Not even her mom knows anything about it, she just insists that she get a job to stay busy. But Joann always had the strange ability to see right though her. Even so, she probably wouldn't ask for much, which she always appreciated about the old woman. Never one to judge, but always there to help if you need it.

"Just...think about it." Her mom says.

Chloe picks up her beanie off the counter and puts it on, "Don't need to." She waves her off as she makes her way for the door, "Thanks mom, I'll catch ya later!"

 _'Joann's_ was only a couple blocks away, so it doesn't take long for Chloe to reach it walking. The outside held the same green exterior with the floral designs outlining her name. Pictures of the different arrangements Joann is best known for were on display behind the windows for any walking pedestrian to see. Why she even needed that is questionable, since there isn't a soul in town that doesn't know about her. Maybe they were there to provide comfort. That's how _she_ wound up in her shop anyway. That one time...

Chloe had met Joann when she was only a girl, Max too in fact. Whenever her father wanted to get her mom some flowers on their way to see her, they would stop by here and Joann would always greet them with utmost respect and joy, as if seeing them would make her day...She always enjoyed coming here, loved the attention if she was being honest. Actually, no. It wasn't attention, it was more like...Belonging. Like she mattered to someone that wasn't particularly family. Joann always told her that she knew she was going to grow up to be this great person, full of spirit and life. Perhaps that's why after her father died and a couple of weeks after Max left, she found herself back at that shop, gazing at the pretty pictures of the flowers on display. That day, Joann made the effort to approach her outside. It was freezing at the time, but the woman didn't seem to care at all about that, wasn't even fazed by it. She just stepped in front of her and squeezed her tight in a hug while Chloe cried into her shoulder. Then they went inside the shop and ate a cup of noodle soup together to warm up. It was definitely one of the most depressing times of her life, but Joann was able to help her through it a little. For a time anyway...

After about a year, Chloe began to dive into doing more 'frowned upon' activities with some of the students at 'Blackhell'; like drugs, vandalism, trespassing. As a result, she dropped contact with her almost altogether. Aside from the occasional passing by gestures that they made to each other on the street, she was careful to make sure they didn't stay in an area for too long with each other. Chloe would blame it on not wanting to deal with another person talking down to her, but really? She felt too ashamed to actually look her in the eye...

Chloe glanced at the open sign hanging on the upper right corner of the glass, inhaling a breath before entering past the door. The familiar scents of strawberry, wildflowers, and now, pumpkin spice for the Halloween season—it all hit her in a wave of nostalgia.

 _Haven't been in here in a loooong time. I almost forgot how clean and organized she was...I wonder if her house is as tidy as this store? Maybe even more so...Ha! She'd probably keel over seeing_ my _room._

Walking through the aisles, Chloe grazed her fingers along the scented candles that lined the shelves. She had versions of just about any kind of scent. Her favorite was the Christmas tree. It was so strong, quick to spread, and the smell was an easy way to the happier times of Christmas morning. The front of the store was mainly for little things that could be put to use around the house. The real thing was the garden located in the back. You can see everything from the window planted behind the register. Each section was its own breed of plant life, though some were only around at the right seasons. The fullest section was under the 'catering' category; especially with the festival coming up, she's probably trying to make sure the flowers are all being properly taken cared of.

Chloe passes through the translucent curtain covering the doorway, entering the vegetated garden. Small fans were mounted in the top corners, blowing mists of water at the plants and open space to keep from things getting too dry. The sun was beaming through the glass windows that peaked like a small mountain on the roof, giving the plants plenty of sunlight to grow off of. It's still fascinating how she managed to do all of this...

In the back, Chloe could see her—still happy as ever—speaking to a few clients. Only, as Chloe came closer, she noticed they weren't ordinary clients. It was the father asshole, himself. Mayor Candidate Sean Prescott and his two lackeys. Prescott had his orange hair combed over with slight graying on the sideburns as well as some orange sunglasses that just made him look douche-y. He was wearing a white coat, beige khaki's, and a plaid red shirt to give himself a more casual look. His two goons were wearing a matching suit, like something out of a bad crime thriller, or Men in Black.

She's only five feet away when Joann manages to spot her and her eyes go wide open, "Chloe Price, is that you?"

Chloe stops instantly as all eyes are on her and she awkwardly waves her hand at her, "Hey there, Ms. Jo." She greets back, "Long time no see..."

"That's the understatement of the year!" She says, excitingly and beckons her with her hand, "Come here, _you_!" Chloe glances at the three who were still eyeing her slightly before slipping past them and Joann takes her in a hug. She was an inch or two shorter than her, maybe a little taller than Max. After she releases her from the embrace, she pivots her to face Prescott, "Sorry to break the conversation, Mr. Prescott, but I haven't seen my girl in months. Perhaps we could continue this discussion another time?"

He smiles like a diplomat about to take a picture, fake in every corner, "That won't be necessary, Joann. We've covered just about all my concerns for the festival; I have no doubt you have everything under control." He turns to Chloe, the fake smile still frozen on his lips, "Hi there. Chloe, was it?"

Chloe leans back and crosses her arms with a squint, "Yeah. So?" She wasn't about to give him the courtesy, hell, it was bad enough being _around_ him.

"Chloe..." Joann says disapprovingly, "I'm sorry for her manners, Sean."

He shakes his head, "No, no, please. It's quite alright...Have a nice day ladies. Gentlemen." He glances at her one more time before spinning on his heel and walking out with his bodyguards in tow.

Once he's out of the building, a heavy sigh is heard from Joann next to her. She must feel sort of stressed and her being all defiant probably didn't help, "Sorry about that, Ms. Jo. I didn't mean to make you upset."

She turns up to her with her blue/green eyes, "Upset? What on earth gave you that idea?"

Chloe tilted her head in confusion, "I...I just embarrassed you in front of the Mayor. Well, soon to be anyway."

"Embarrassed?" She guffawed into laughter, "Oh, dear. I...I can't stand that little slime ball. I despise him just as much as you do, _more_ even."

Chloe's eyes widen with a chuckle, "You don't like him either?" She shook her head, "But you were totally kissing his ass a moment ago!"

She begins walking towards the front again and Chloe follows her, "Of course I was! He owns just about half of the buildings here in Arcadia Bay, it's no wonder he's going to be elected the Mayor, even is he is responsible for the fish dying." She says that last bit with clear distaste.

"Yeah. No, I get that, but why does that mean you have to kiss his ass?"

She stops and turns to her with a serious look, "Because, sweetie. The less he has to suspect of me, the less attention I get from him. Which means less drama to deal with. Lord knows how much he's taken from other local store owners in the area, how long will it be til he opens up his own botanical garden and promises to give the 'seeds of life'? How long do you think my shop would last then?"

Chloe crosses her arms, "Please, you'll never run out of business. This place is as about as famous as the Two Whales. _No one_ would go to him, even if he was able to double his prices below yours."

Joann nods her head with a smile, "You're exactly right, Chloe. And I think he knows that too, which is why he hasn't tried anything yet. But as long as I stay on his good side, he and I have got nothing to worry about."

"And if you get on his bad side?"

Joann makes her lips into a line and smiles sweetly at her, "Then he's going to have to deal with _my_ bad side."

A chill runs up Chloe's arm. Did she just imply a threat? "Brrr, Ms. Jo! I didn't think you _had_ a bad side to you."

She laughs loudly passing through the translucent curtain, "It doesn't come out often. Though maybe you would have seen it over the years, had you visited more often." She tilts her head at at her with a feigned glare.

Chloe feels herself blush, "Sorry...I...Just got busy and...Well. Things happened."

She grips her by the shoulders with caring eyes, "I'm only teasing you, Chloe. You don't have to explain yourself to me—I know how it goes. The heavy winds of life take you where it wants you to go, no point in struggling in it. Just gotta embrace it and flow to wherever the current takes you."

 _Whatever that means..._

"Thanks, Ms. Jo..."

She only smiles at her with a hand stroking a few strands of her blue hair, "You look as beautiful as ever, Chloe. The color still looks good on you." She blushed at the complement. When she had originally dyed it a couple of years ago, Joann was one of the few people who expressed their admiration for the color, said the abnormality of it reminded her of one of her grand-kids' hair. She let's go of her face and puts a hand on her waist, "But I'm sure you didn't come here just to chit-chat. I assume your mother gave you my message?"

"Yes she did. She said you were offering me a job?"

"Indeed I was, if you want it." She states, "I'm told you're in need of cash and it just so happens that with the festival coming up, I'm in need of a few extra hands."

"What would I have to do?" Chloe asked, curiously.

She crosses her arms, "The festival takes up most of the street-way, so, you'll be doing an abundance of different things. You'll have to help me set everything up, work a booth for an hour or so, and then you'll probably be needed elsewhere." Chloe must have made a face or something because Joann giggles at her, "Don't worry it's not all that bad. You'll be helping wherever I need you and you'll be compensated generously."

Chloe makes a crooked smile, "How generous?"

"I'll give you five hundred dollars for the all of the night's work." She answers.

"Five hundred dollars for one night?" Chloe asks in disbelief. "Awful lot of money for an independent business woman. Where do you get this kind of money?"

She laughs, "I've been in the business for nearly twenty years, Chloe. It also helps that I've managed to save quite a bit since I first started."

"Whatever you say, Ms. Jo." Chloe says.

She puts both hands at her waist, "So, are you interested?"

 _Five hundred dollars isn't nearly enough to pay back Frank, but I suppose it's something to get me started. And I'm sure Ms. Jo would help me out with something afterwards. Besides, it beats trying to steal all of it from a pretentious psycho._

Chloe nodded her head, "Hellz yeah, I'm interested!"

* * *

 **A/N : A quick heads up before I leave you guys... I just want to inform you that there will not be an update next week. I'm very sorry, but life is kicking my ass right now, what with the holidays and work taking up more of my time, it's getting increasingly difficult for me to find time to write... I figure this last post before Christmas would be fitting to end the year, not in terms of story, but just for me to take a breather. The story will resume some time in January in a few weeks, not sure when yet, but it will be on a Saturday like it always is and will be.**

 **Also, another note on that, I'm working on another story alongside this one (a poor decision at the time, but now I refuse to give up on either of them); but like I said, because of my shortage on time, I may have to resort to a bi-weekly update schedule. I'd hate to do it, and hopefully I won't have to, but I hope you guys understand.**

 **Anyway, thank you guys for a pleasant few months. I absolutely LOVE hearing from you guys, so thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all the feedback you've given me thus far! I hope you enjoy all the things I have in store for you, it's going to be a VERY long story! Like...I don't even know how long lol I just know what's going to happen along the way.**

 **So, Happy Holidays, everyone! I'll see you next year :)**


	11. The Useful, Trustworthy Ape

**A/N : Hey guys! I'm back :D**

 **Quick note on updates before we begin, I'm going to try to update every 10 to 14 days. It is subject to change, but for now, that will be the update schedule, cool?**

 ***I also do not own any of the forms of entertainment discussed at several points in this chapter***

 **Anyway, Happy New Year, and I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Chapter 10: The Useful, Trustworthy Ape

 **~Warren~**

Warren continued scrolling down the list of threads on Reddit, giving each one a quick glance before moving on the next. They were all the same. Just about every news and radio station spoke about the unexpected snowfall that happened upon Arcadia Bay yesterday. The event spawned numerous discussions and any footage of it was being displayed on almost every popular news site in the U.S.

The snowfall, as it would for any scientist, peaked Warren's curiosity. The occurrence of it at all was strange; but now that he knew it had only been Arcadia Bay to experience it, it became even stranger. Certainly interesting, though. Strange is _always_ interesting. Like the movie, Planet of the Apes—the name practically speaks for itself, but it's still one of the best movies of _all_ time.

This thought reminded him of the drive-in marathon Brooke had told him about yesterday. His fingers flew across the board, entering the drive-in theater's website. Apparently, the only way to get tickets is to physically go there—there's no way to get them online. He doesn't mind making the trek, though. After all, it's only sixty miles away.

 _Just need to see if Max wants to go. I'd really like her to. I suppose I could take Brooke, she did_ tell _me about it, after all, but still...Max wasn't able to give me an answer yesterday, what with everything going on; so maybe she'll still say yes._

Warren puts a hand under his chin, planting his elbow on top of the table he was sitting at as he glances around the room. He was currently inside the science lab (and his first class of the day), not an uncommon thing for Warren. He's one of those types of people that prefer to make the most out of their day, waking up early enough to see the sun rise, and staying awake longer than anyone else in his dorm. It's always been like that for him.

His eyes glaze over the black wooden shelves lined with empty containers and basic equipment; then passing over the old beige painted walls that adorn the static walls of the school, and then to the Einstein poster near the fish tank, where the class fish used to be. Trevor was the one who forgot to feed it, if he recalled correctly. Finally, his eyes set on the Science Fair flier located on the bulletin board in the front.

Mrs. Grant had automatically put his name forward for the entry, knowing he'd be more than interested in it. He's skeptical of what he has in mind, however, since he's not particularly sure of what he's going to do for it. A simple project is out of the question, he wouldn't even dare consider a volcano as a viable option. As fun as such a thing would be, his parents would chastise him dearly for it.

Since he was a child, Warren's parents had always been strict on him with school. Forcing him to put his academics above everything else. It was suffocating at first, but after he reached middle school, he began to find some joy in it, which brought him into his initial fondness for science. Luckily, his parents aren't the same way to his little brother, Lukas... Well...not as much, anyway. He's not exactly fragile, or even dumb for that matter, but Warren wants him to experience what it's like not having to dedicate your childhood to school. To experience what it's like being a normal kid, living a more...simple life.

Despite his short end of the stick, Warren is relatively content with how is life has turned out thus far. Full ride to one of the greatest schools in the U.S., a four-point-oh GPA, and he's well versed in the knowledge and art of Anime and classic Cinema—what more could someone ask for?

Well...a girlfriend would be nice...

...

The school bell rings, and after a few seconds, students began to fill the hallways. There were already people in the halls before, but the majority were out getting breakfast. Warren skipped out on breakfast today, instead resorting to eating only an energy bar and a red bull to start his day. Over summer breaks, that's how he would start _most_ of his days, never bothering to leave his room unless he was called upon. Today, he just didn't feel like eating.

A few more moments pass with a couple of students entering the classroom, chatting with each other as they take their seats. More of them enter, simultaneously mimicking the first group, Warren noticed. It almost seemed like both groups were talking about the same thing. Another student enters—this one being the friendly and more familiar, Daniel—and sits at the table next to his.

"Hello, Warren." Daniel greets him, putting his bag down as he settles into his seat.

"'Sup, Daniel!" Warren replies with his morning enthusiasm, "Any idea what everybody here seems to be whispering about?"

His eyes go wide with a grin, "You do not know what happened?" Warren shakes his head, "Victoria got told off!"

This time, Warren's eyes grew wide. Before he could speak, however, Sarah—one of the girls in the classroom, and also a Vortex Club member—says, "Not just told off; I heard the guy ripped her sweater too."

"No, no, no, he only threw some of his food at her, and made her cry." Another girl in the opposite corner of the room said.

"You guys are both wrong!" Daniel interjected, "He didn't lay a finger on her, _at all_."

Warren tilted his head at Daniel, " _Who_ didn't lay a finger on her?" They're going back in forth from their experience with this, yet none of them seemed to mention the poor-brave soul's name.

Daniel seemed to pick up on this, "Oh, right. His name is Ethan. He's new here—only started yesterday."

Warren's jaw dropped, unintentionally, "So that's the boy's name? Shit, he was kinda cute." Some girl said from a direction he couldn't make out. To be honest, he wasn't paying too much attention to them anymore. He was too busy trying to snap out of his stupor.

 _Ethan? Could it be..._ that _Ethan? The one Max was hanging out with yesterday? The same one that gave Nathan a bloody nose and escaped with her? Daniel mentioned yesterday was his first day, so it_ must _be. He seemed cool enough when I spoke to him, but looks can be deceiving...I mean, who gets into a fight on their first_ and _second day at Blackwell? What does that say about_ him _? ...Maybe it was done with good reason. I don't think he's a bad guy, otherwise, why would Max be hanging out with him?_

"Do you know why he told her off?" Warren asked, finally managing to make words.

"No," Daniel shrugged, "I only caught the conversation at around the end. But, boy, is that guy something!" Warren would be lying if he said Ethan wasn't at least a little admirable.

 _He certainly is something..._

Warren catches a figure sitting down at the table in front of him from the corner of his eye, "The red-head, kid, right?" Brooke asks, putting her bag in the other chair, "If he's got one thing, it's guts. I can count the number of people that would do something like that with my _fingers_ , and _none_ of them would do it on their first day here. I don't think I've ever seen Victoria's face change color so quickly." She laughed.

Brooke Scott. Not counting, Max—Brooke is probably the person Warren speaks to the most at Blackwell. She likes video games, reading, technology, and has a passion for Science and Mathematics, much like he does. Most people say she can be rude sometimes—and for good reason—but she's never been rude to _him._ Brooke has black hair with red and blue highlights, and usually wore it up in an upwards ponytail. Today she's wearing a pair of red leggings and a dark grey sweater. Warren believes that she and Max have similar taste in terms of style, since he almost never sees either of them without some type of jacket. Actually, there are a lot of similarities between them, like how they're both huge nerds (to name one); though, Brooke doesn't agree with that comparison.

"Does anyone know—" Brooke stopped mid sentence and gasped at the sight of Warren, which caught him off balance for a moment before he realized why. She wasn't discreet about it, "Warren, what happened to your eye!?"

He cringed at the question. It was out of concern, of course, but everybody in the class heard it. Warren knows how to be 'invisible', which may be why no one had noticed it on him before. That, or they just didn't care, which also helps the 'invisible' thing.

"I kind of got into a little fight yesterday..." He murmurs so only Brooke could hear.

Thankfully, she began to reciprocate her response in a similar way, "A fight? That's not like you..."

"Well, it wasn't much of a fight," He said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "It was more like him just pounding on me."

Brooke muttered something under her breath that Warren didn't catch, but Daniel comments, "It doesn't look that bad. It should heal up by the end of the week."

"It doesn't feel as bad as it looks," Warren said with a pained chuckle, "But I think you're right."

"How did you get into a fight?" Brooke asked, still concerned. Warren didn't understand why she was, though. It's only a black eye.

"Nathan was being an asshole to Max, and...well—"

Brooke cut him off mid-explanation, "Wait, you got into a fight with Nathan? Nathan _Prescott_? And for _Max_?" Her brows furrowed and she became visibly frustrated for a second, but quickly composed herself, "Warren, you have _got_ to—"

"Is that him?"

"Yeah! Yeah, that's him! The dude from the cafeteria! Ian, or, whatever his name is!"

Warren leaned to the side, looking past Brooke and getting a full view of those who walked by within view of the doorway. Sure enough, there he was. The man of the hour, apparently. And he was talking to Max. They were smiling and laughing, which there's nothing wrong with, but it did make Warren feel a little jealous... The two seem to exchange farewells and Ethan turns into his classroom. As in, _his_ classroom. He had no idea they would have the same class together!

The red-head takes two steps in before stopping just past the door. His eyes go big as he examines the room, and Warren realizes that the class was pretty much full by now. So the reason Ethan paused with big eyes, was because just about everyone in here was ogling at him. Judging by the look on his face, Warren could tell he wasn't really much of an attention seeker.

 _Talk about being out in the spotlight...I should help him out._

Warren waved his arm, "Ethan, over here, dude!"

He locks eyes with him and grinned as he walked over to the seat next to him, "Hey, Warren. I didn't know you and I were in the same class."

"It's a small school," Warren said, as Ethan placed his bag on the table, "Besides, we all, technically, have the same classes, since it's the same subject matter."

"There are no honors courses or anything here?" He asks.

"This is _Blackwell Academy_ ," Warren states with a bit of pride, " _Every_ class is an _honors_ class!"

Ethan smiles, "Guess you've got a point there...Sorry about the eye, dude." He cringes slightly with a little finger gesture to his swollen eye, "I should have stayed and helped you fight."

Warren shrugged and smiled, "It's cool, man. Everything happened so fast, I didn't even realize I was on the ground until security showed up." The two laughed at this; a little harder than intended, but hey, laughter is contagious.

Ethan turned his head around, "Hey, Daniel. What's up?"

Daniel smiled with a toothy grin, "Hello, Ethan. So does that mean you were a part of the thing with Nathan, too?"

He nods his head, "Just wish I had done more."

"You did a lot more than _I_ did..." Warren mumbled to himself.

Brooke groaned quietly before turning to Warren, "If _he_ was already helping her, why did you have to get involved?"

Ethan spoke for him, "Actually, Warren was the one who stepped up first." He pointed out, "I was more like his back up, though, I didn't really do much... _He_ was the one who got Nathan away from her. And no matter how the situation turned out; such a heroic act like that, definitely didn't go unnoticed."

Ethan gave him a look that made him curious. Didn't go unnoticed...by Max?

"You make it sound so epic." said Daniel, marveling over the new guys words.

Ethan rubs the back of his head, embarrassed, "I might be going a little overboard with what I mean."

Warren catches Brooke scowl from the other corner of his eye, then it hit him, "Oh, right. Brooke, this is Ethan. Ethan, Brooke." It had just occurred to him that they don't know each other.

Brooke's scowl lightens up slightly, but still stands its ground. Ethan greets first, "Nice to meet you, Brooke." He points a finger at her, "Say, aren't you the one who was flying that drone yesterday?"

She raises an eyebrow at him, "What do you know about Drones?" It didn't come off as in a trying sort of way, more curious. But it could certainly be misconstrued as one.

Luckily, Ethan didn't see at as such, "I know that the one you were flying yesterday was the HiFly kind; though, the model didn't seem too familiar to me, so I'm guessing it was one of the newer ones? I had the B1000 back when it first came out."

This guy knows about drones? Warren never would have pegged him as the type to be interested in that sort of thing. Apparently, Brooke didn't either, "O-oh, y-yeah. It's the B400 EVO model. But, I had it custom made to look a certain way."

"Well, it flies beautifully," Ethan comments, "The 1000 had such wonky-ass controls, I could almost never get it to fly straight."

Brooke chuckles, "That's why they didn't sell too well when they first launched. It was only when the B2000 model got released that they began to attract more attention."

The two continued speaking back and forth about drones, which Warren was no stranger to, but he was busy pondering about Ethan. He makes friends so easily, even managing to ease into the good graces of Brooke. A feat only he had been able to do as quickly. What to make of him...Warren wasn't sure just yet, but he was definitely a friend.

"So...um..." Ethan begins, breaking Warren away from his thoughts, "Is there a reason why everyone is staring at me?" He glances behind him and a wave of faces turn the opposite direction, "It's kind of freaking me out a little."

"Word around the school is you embarrassed the shit out of Victoria and ripped her sweater." Brooke said amusingly.

Ethan tilts his head and laughs, "Ripped her sweater? I didn't touch her." He said, confirming Daniel's words, "She said she was trying to remind Kate of who she really is, so I did the same thing to her." He looked around the room for a second, "Kind of surprised everyone's making such a big deal about it."

"It's not everyday someone disses the queen bee of Blackwell." Warren states, "And you know she's gonna be coming after you now, right?"

"Eh, I don't care," He says, with a wave of his hand, "If she does, I'll just get her back, twice as hard."

Mrs. Grant walks in just as the last bell rings, effectively muting the class. She greets everyone with a cheery 'Good morning!' and decides to officially introduce Ethan to everyone.

"Class, we have a new student joining us here today. I want everyone to give him a warm Blackwell welcome. Mr. Cole, won't you please stand up and introduce yourself?"

He winces, probably from the attention again, as he stood up from his seat, "Yo." He kept his greeting as short and simple as that, with a slight wave of his hand, before sitting back down.

"Ethan," Mrs. Grant says, "I know you're starting with us in the middle of a lesson, so today, you can just look on with Warren, alright?" She eyed him as if looking for confirmation before he nods.

As she turns back and begins writing on the board, Warren turns to Ethan with a grin, "If you need any help with anything here, let me know. Science is kind of my thing."

Ethan smirks at him, "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

The second class of the day ended with the school bell, ringing loudly for everyone to get lunch. Warren exited his statistics class with all the students flooding the hallway, and Ethan was walking beside him. Turns out they both had the same class time twice in a row, only on Tuesdays and Thursdays though. The benefits of being a part of such a small student body, Warren guessed.

"So where do you stay at during lunch?" Ethan asked.

Uh, I usually stay at the Science Lab most of the time." Warren replied. It's one of the places he felt the most comfortable, but he wasn't opposed to change, "I don't mind eating somewhere else, though!"

Ethan smiled, "Well, it's a beautiful day outside. How's about we sit out there?"

Warren agreed to it, and so they did. The two of them stepped outside, taking in the cool breeze that came with the blazing sun. It was strange in a way, since the temperature outside was hotter than normal, but the winds counteracted towards that. After picking a shady spot under a tree (the same tree that Ethan mentioned he took a nap in yesterday) they both sat down and spoke of countless things.

At first, the topic was on movies. Ethan had some impressive knowledge under his belt with certain classics, but it was no where on Warren's scale. For example, he had never seen _Citizen Kane_ , _The Treasure of The Sierra Madre_ , or even the original _King Kong_! He has, however, seen _2001: A Space Odyssey_ , so that gives him some redemption. He only seemed to know a few of the content he had given Max to watch, so Warren made a mental note to let him borrow his 'top secret' flash-drive some time.

In terms of Anime, Ethan only knew the mainstream stuff...or, not even that, actually. The only worthwhile movie he had ever seen was _Akira_ (though he speaks incredibly high of it), so he hasn't seen _Ponyo_ , or _Spirited Away_ or anything like that. He spoke highly of _Dragon Ball_ , _Naruto_ , and some movie called _The Iron Giant,_ which isn't an anime, per se, but Warren has heard of it once before.

When it came to video games, however, Ethan had him beat. Ethan dabbled into just about every genre with games; from something as simple as visual novels, to FPS's, and to full scale RPG's. Ethan preferred fighting games more than anything, but his favorite game series was _Final Fantasy_ , with the bold claim that he's clocked over six hundred hours in each of the main games, save for the first two or three. Warren enjoyed strategy based gameplay, so he played things like _Civilization,_ or _X-COM_ , which only came out last year. However, even knowing what they were each good at, that didn't stop them from challenging each other in their favorite titles.

After a few more minutes of this sort of talk, Ethan's phone rang. It only rang once, so it was probably a text. Once he brought it out, his face contorted slightly for a second before going back to normal.

"What's up?" Warren asked, curiously.

"Eh, it's nothing." He says, "I texted Max to get her to join us, but she said she's doing something for her next class."

Warren could believe that. Max has asked for his help many times before on the assignments she finds the most difficult. Usually it's science or math related, which, now that he thought about it, he had made her a list of sources for her to use on some science assignment last night. That was the extent of _his_ knowledge at least, she was pretty vague about it.

"Max is almost always busy working on something," Warren begins, "It's one of the reasons we don't hang out much outside of school."

"You two don't hang outside of Blackwell much?"

Before Warren could respond, he paused for a proper answer, "Well...never actually." He admitted, "I offer to go places, but, like I said: she's almost always busy."

Ethan nods his head in understanding, "Right, like asking her to go to the drive-in, yesterday?" Warren nods and Ethan crosses his arms, leaning his back against the tree they were sitting at, "How long have you known Max?"

Warren tilted his head to him, "We met at the start of the semester, sooo...Around a month...and a half?"

"And how long have you had a crush on her?"

Warren opened his mouth to speak, until Ethan's words finally got processed in his head. A chill ran up his spine, and he suddenly began to feel his body temperature rise uncontrollably. He had been made? How did Ethan know he has a crush on her? He always did his best to make it seem unnoticeable...or maybe...maybe Ethan was just reaching. Yeah, he could still play this off.

Warren broke out into laughter, with squinted eyes, doing his best to look incredulous as his voice came out all squeaky, "Wh-what? Me? I-I don't have a crush on Max." Ethan raised an eyebrow, face and assumption, presumably left unchanged. Warren sighs, defeated, "Is it _that_ obvious?"

Ethan smiles gleefully, "It was obvious to _me_ , but I don't know if I could say the same for her, just yet." Warren lowered his head, brown bangs covering his eyes to shield him from further embarrassment, "Hey, come on, chin up dude." Ethan says, patting his shoulder, "Max is a cute girl, having a crush on her is nothing to be ashamed of."

Warren looks up at him through his bangs, "Do...do you like her too?" He felt like a child for asking such a question, but it was scratching in the back of his mind since yesterday, so why not just get it out of the way?

His eyes went wide before he narrows them and a devious smirk crept on his lips, "If I did, would that bother you?" Warren stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. What _could_ he say? After a few seconds of choking silence and a stare that wouldn't break, Ethan started laughing, "Relax, man, I'm only teasing you. If you're worried about competition or something, you're not gonna get it from me."

Warren released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Well, the good thing for you is: she trusts you more than anybody else at this school." Ethan mentions.

He felt his cheeks burn and Warren realized he was blushing, "How do you know that?"

"Because, you remember that big ol' secret she was going to tell you yesterday?" Ethan didn't give him a chance to respond, "She's only told _one_ other person, and that's her childhood friend."

"But, didn't she tell _you_?" He asked, using his fingers to comb his hair slightly to the side.

Ethan gestures to himself, "No, I'm actually _involved_ in the secret."

Warren squinted his eyes, feeling more bewildered than he had with the snowfall. Yesterday, Max had said something _bizarre_ happened in Mr. Jefferson's class, something so _hardcore_ that it was _life-changing_. And now, Ethan is for sure involved with that, but it isn't anything romantic...So then...What is it?

"What's the secret?" Warren finally asked.

"I suppose I could tell you..." Ethan considers loudly, "...but first, I'd like to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"You know a lot about what goes on here at Blackwell, you're in-tune with the social cliques, _and_ you're insanely smart, so it's no wonder you're studying here at such a high level." Ethan noted.

"I've learned how to be invisible over the years." Warren admitted. Not counting the whole thing with Nathan yesterday, most of the popular bunch—like the football team or the Vortex Club—usually just leave him alone or don't notice him at all.

Ethan leans in closer, "Tell me: what do you know about Rachel Amber?"

Warren cocked his head to the side, "Um...Only what I've heard from other students. She disappeared before I even started here. Why?"

The red head brings one leg up to his chest and rests his arm on top of it, "I wanna try to find her, or at the very least, find out what happened to her."

"That's admirable," Warren says, "But, why bother with it? I mean, did you know her?"

"Nope. I just saw the 'missing person's' poster and decided to give it a shot, since no one else seemed to have any luck." He explained, though it still didn't sound like much of a motivational drive to Warren. "It's really just a hobby of mine, I guess. I like mysteries. So can you help me, or not?"

Warren only needed one thought to make his decision: _'When trouble is afoot, w_ _hat would the_ Doctor _do?'_

He grinned and gave him a thumbs up, "You bet! We'll be just like the _Hardy Boys_! Only, you know, we won't be brothers."

Ethan chuckled, "That's actually not a bad comparison."

Once the laughter softened, Warren asked cautiously, "So...Can you tell me the secret, now?" He was just getting excited about being in the loop.

Ethan's face hardened once more. He glanced around them a couple of times before facing him again, "What I'm about to tell you, can't be told to anyone, got it?"

Warren scowled, "Yeah, I know. Max made that pretty clear back in the parking lot yesterday. I won't tell a soul." He said firmly.

Closing his eyes, Ethan laid his head back to face the sky and released a breath of air. Slowly, he opened his eyes and set them on him, "Yesterday, Max had a strange dream during class, and then, by some crazy circumstance in the bathroom, she discovered that she could rewind time."

...

...

Warren tittered lightly and shook his head, "I'm sorry, I-I thought we were being serious?"

"I _am_ being serious." Ethan said, unwavering from the joke.

"Alright, _Doc_." Warren says in his best Marty McFly impression, "What do _you_ do then? You set up the _Delorean_ for Max to jump back and forth?"

Ethan smiled, "No, you smart ass. I'm not affected by whenever she time travels, and...I think I can create duplicates of something as long as I'm holding onto it when she's rewinding."

"Oh, you're not sure yet? Do you not have it written down in the script?" He asked, sarcastically.

"I'm not making this up, I'm serious."

"Come on, time travel and matter manipulation? You're talking about something I've only ever _dreamed_ about." Warren says, "I am a scientist, so I'm going to need to see some proof before I can climb aboard the train of belief." Although, it would explain why Max had asked him about Time Travel last night, and why she was so freaked out in the parking lot. Still, it's difficult to take such a thing on faith.

Ethan rubbed his head, "Yeah, figured as much. Chloe said the same thing."

"That's Max's friend? The blue haired girl from yesterday?"

The school bell rang just as Ethan confirmed with him. Lunch was over. After grabbing their things, they both got up and made their way back to the building.

"Look, I'm sorry," Warren begins, "It's just too crazy to actually accept it without seeing it, you know?"

"No, no, no, I completely understand." Ethan replies, "Oh and don't tell Max I told you this yet, 'kay? I'm sure she's fine with it, but I'd rather tell her first, and then we demonstrate it to you."

"Okay, sounds good."

They reach the front of the building and step inside. The hallway was crowded with students, both exiting the cafeteria and making their way to their next classes. Shoes squeaking against the waxed tile floors and the side conversations of other students filled the space of the main hall, which Warren grew irritated of. Upon reaching the epicenter, they both turned to each other.

"Well, my next class is this way," Ethan states, "Guess I'll see you later?"

"Most definitely," Warren beamed as he offered a fist. Ethan glanced at it warily before grinning and bumping it with his own fist. With that, Warren turned and walked to his next class.

 _Time Travel...Can Max really rewind time?_

* * *

 **A/N : So yeah, Warren knows now. He doesn't necessarily believe it, but he's been informed of it nonetheless XD**

 **What do you guys think of this change in canon? Please let me know! I LOVE hearing from you guys, I really do! Especially since there's going to be quite a few changes in canon down the road.**

 **Oh, on another note, if any of you have any stories of your own that you want to get looked at and reviewed, let me know! I'm always looking for new stuff to read, and I'd be more than happy to help you out as well :)**

 **Anyway, I'll see you guys next time! :D**


	12. Late Night Stroll

Chapter 11: Late Night Stroll

 **~Ethan~**

 _There. That should be just fine._

Ethan Cole exhaled loudly, finally managing to set up the last bit of his things in his room. He did most of it last night, the essentials anyway; but now, it was more just adding that personal touch to it. He wasn't sure how to arrange it all at first, but he felt like differentiating it from his place back in Florida. After taking a look at the way Chloe's was set up—minus the garbage, of course—he arranged it roughly around that idea. His bed was put against the back wall, lodged into the left hand corner of the room. Across from that was the closet space that came in the blueprints of the house, so there was no changing that bit. And Ethan placed his desk in front of the window—inspired by the way it fit so nicely in Chloe's room.

Everything else in the room wasn't technically his, more so his grandmother's. On the right side, he had just finished putting up a bulletin board and setting up a white board to kind of help his thinking process. Ethan finds that some sort of motion with his hands and fingers tend to help him think more, which is why his sister used to call him 'twinkle toes' when they were younger. Whenever he was deep in thought, he would often twiddle his fingers against the side of his leg, alerting everyone that he was, in fact, thinking. To him it's almost like throwing a ball up in the air, or spinning something in between your fingers—it's a way to open your mind.

He takes another look around the room, observing to see if he'd missed anything.

 _Nope, doesn't look like I did. Now I can start adding some of the little things._

For the next hour or so, Ethan began coloring the room with little mementos, posters, and tools for school, as well as for his mystery revolving around Rachel Amber. He set his laptop down on his desk, along with a cup stocked with pencils, pens, and erasers; and then plugged in the desk lamp in the socket located underneath. Once he finished with that, he placed a few framed photos on some of the empty shelves in the closet. Most of them were, obviously, of he and his family. However, there was one that he had kept since he was a child; though, it's not really a photo. It's a painted plaque of _Spider-man;_ which, he'd be the first to admit, he'd grown out of that sort of thing...almost! But it wasn't about the hero, more for the words of wisdom provided with the painting. Ethan ran his fingers along the worn frame and read the inscription.

 _" **Honor:  
** The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."_

When he had first gotten it as a gift, he was too young to really understand it. His sister, Nellie, was the one who explained it to him later on; which, also embarrassed him that she found out its meaning before _he_ did. Regardless, he didn't take it much to heart until about a year ago. And now, it was one of his most precious possessions. He set it down on the shelf, sitting next to a photo of him and his mother, before moving away from the closet. Afterwards, Ethan covered the mattress with a black colored bedspread and a night blue blanket to contrast with the room. He'll paint the walls gray some time, but for now, he'd settle for the plain white.

Finally, there was just one more thing. He cleaned up what remained of the unpacking, being extra careful that nothing got lost within the cream colored carpeting, until there was only one thing left, sitting on his bed. He pinched the edge of the Rachel Amber poster with two fingers and brought it up to face level. Ethan gazed at the poster, searchingly, as if he was looking at the girl herself, before walking over to the bulletin board and pinning it in the center with a thumbtack.

 _Your name is passed around the school like some ghost story going viral. Everybody I've spoken to knows who you are—even the ones that weren't around before you disappeared. There are posters of you all around the town,_ _and yet...No one knows where you are..._

Ethan leaned back on one heel, thoughtfully, arms crossed. _If only it were as easy as asking you through the flier._

A knock on his door jerks his neck away from the board, "It's open."

The door shifted ajar before Nana peaked her way in, the ever present smile plastered on her face, "Hello, sweetie. Sorry I'm home so late, I had to—" Her eyes locked on the right side of the room, "...so _that's_ where my boards went!"

Ethan laughed and rubbed the back of his head, trying hard to appear innocent, "Oh yeah, I hope that's alright with you. I just need it, for a, uh...school project."

Nana raised an eyebrow, looking past him, "Hmm. And what kind of school project would involve a Missing Persons' poster of Rachel Amber?"

"Well, we're showing what could happen when you walk by yourself at night," he said, "You know, stranger danger, that sort of thing." A terrible excuse, but he couldn't think of a better one at the spur of the moment.

"Oh, how noble." She says, sarcastically, "And on your first day of classes, that's quite the assignment. They should have warned you not to bullshit me, though, before you got _slapped_ upside the head." She physically did it as she said the word, making Ethan wince at the abrupt pain, "I know you too well to believe that."

No, she doesn't. At least, not fully. Not even Nana knows how he feels. But Ethan wasn't going to say that out loud. Instead, she continued, as he rubbed the tender spot on his head, "I detest lies as much as you do, Ethan. So why would you lie to me?"

"Because," he says, "Sometimes, lying to someone you care about is necessary."

"That sounds a little hypocritical, don't you think?"

Ethan shrugs and leans on his desk, "So, I'm a hypocrite, sue me... Lying was just my first instinct, I guess." He had been doing it a few times around the adults yesterday, so maybe that's why.

Nana frowned, eyeing the poster, "Just, try not to get carried away." Her gaze lingered on the photo, Ethan noticed.

"Did you know her?"

She bobs her head at him, "That's a silly question. I don't think there's a single person in this town that I _don't_ know, so...yes. I knew her."

Ethan smiled at her, "I'm sorry, I should've been more specific. Do you...know what happened to her?"

She sighed before she spoke, "No, I'm afraid I don't. It's one of those unsolvable things in Arcadia Bay, _and_ one of the most recent." She added, "The other being all of the fish dying in the bay, but that one doesn't take a genius to figure out who's responsible." She placed a hand on the photo of the missing girl, "I've actually been checking with the police every now and then to see if anything about her has come up, but nothing ever does."

"Do you think she's dead?" Ethan deadpanned, no point in sugarcoating it.

Nana didn't seem fazed by it though, "After all this time and no sight of her? That'd be my guess...It's the only sensible explanation I can think of."

"Yeah..." Ethan thought the same thing.

The two stayed in silence before Joann broke it, her voice packed with enthusiasm, "Moving away from this topic, can you tell me about your friends now? The ones you made yesterday? I'm dying to hear about it..." She pouted at the end there.

Ethan couldn't help but grin at her adorableness, "I wouldn't call them _friends_ just yet. I mean, I know that's what I said yesterday, but they're more like acquaintances."

"Well, that's a start!" She beams, "Now go on, tell me."

"Okay, okay," Ethan began, "So the first person I met—and wound up spending most of the day with—was a girl, named Max Caulfield."

Her eyes brightened, "Maxine Caulfield? Oh goodness, what are the chances?"

"You know—?" Ethan bit his tongue, "How do you know Max?"

She giggled, "I met her when she was just a little girl. She and her parents came into my shop one day, and she was just the sweetest little thing...Brown hair in a pony-tail, cute little freckles on her cheeks—Oh, and so shy, too!" Nana laughed once more. Ethan recalled that Max _was_ a little shy when he met her yesterday, but he figured it was because of him barging into the girl's restroom. Well, she certainly wasn't shy around Chloe, "I stayed in touch with her parents for a while after they left for Seattle, but eventually, we were getting too busy and stopped. I heard she came back into town about a month or so ago." She wobbles a finger at him, "Next time you see her, tell Maxine to come by and visit."

"I'll be sure to do that," Ethan promises, "The way we met was actually really strange."

Nana raised an eyebrow, "How did you two come to meet?"

"Well..."

Ethan explained the unlikely situation in which he met Max (minus all of the: time traveling, Chloe shooting, and Nathan murdering parts) and then proceeded to tell her about the rest of what happened that day. He got to the part with leaving the parking lot, when Nana's alarm clock went off.

"Damned thing." She swore, hitting the snooze button. Nana cursed more frequently when she was tired, Ethan noticed, "I have to go to sleep, but I am very pleased you managed to make... _acquaintances_ , yesterday."

"Nana, you're like, sixty-four, and you have a bed time?" Ethan remarked, ignoring the last statement.

"Believe it or not, beauty sleep is an actual thing, sweetie." She smiled, fluffing her hair. Ethan laughed and Nana grabbed his shoulders, kissing him on the cheek, "I'm proud of you, Ethan. Despite everything with..." She trailed off before shaking her head, "Anyway, try to get some sleep, okay?" She spun around and directed herself towards the door. Ethan was thankful she didn't bring it up. Thinking about it now would only make him feel depressed. Before closing the door, she spoke again, "Oh, and if you're really going to be looking into Rachel? I would find someone to help if I were you."

She looked as if she was going to recommend someone, but Ethan spoke first, "Don't worry, I got it covered."

"Oh, well then...Goodnight." Nana smiled at him one last time before closing the door.

 _She is so cute. Like a puppy you just can't be mad at. Eh, maybe that's not the best example..._

Ethan slumped onto his bed, the lack of sleep finally catching up to him. He spent most of the night unpacking yesterday, so he only got about two hours worth, on top of the fact that he was still on a different time zone. How he was still conscious at this point was beyond him. He placed an arm over his eyes, not bothering to take of his shoes, or even get under the covers; letting himself eventually hit the metaphorical snooze button as the world faded away.

Then suddenly...there was a noise. It wasn't boisterous in any way, but it was slight enough for him to open his eyes. He swiveled his head around the room, searching for the source, until his eyes rested upon the window seal. That's when he saw it. An electrifying blue colored butterfly, detailed with black designs too intricate to fully describe, sitting on the glass.

Ethan got up from his bed and rubbed his eyes, trying to make sure he wasn't imagining it. As he came closer, however, he confirmed it as the same one from the bathroom he and Max had seen yesterday. He undid the latch on his window and lifted it open. Doing so must have frightened it, as it fluttered away with its elegant wings, and then landed on the mail box in the front yard. Ethan wasn't sure why, but he was out of his room in seconds, before exiting through the front door.

His shoes crunched as they made contact with the gravel of the driveway, not bothering to pick up his steps as he walked over to the mailbox. Now, he was within arms reach and he swore, the butterfly was _glowing blue_ before his very eyes. It flapped upwards slightly, before Ethan raised a hand in front of his chest and it docked itself on his index finger. Its hypnotic wings continued to flutter on its back as he studied it, curiously.

It's blue wings glowed in the dark of night, with a black outlining on the exteriors, as well as a single black line on each wing cutting through horizontally. There were also darker shades of purple in the bottom corners of its design. Back in the restroom, Ethan wasn't able to get a good look at it much, since Max had wanted to take a photo of it, and then Nathan showed up...There was something...alluring about this butterfly. A feeling it gave off, one he couldn't quite describe to himself.

The butterfly abruptly starts moving again, lifting itself off Ethan's finger. He watched it like a sniper, not daring to take it off his line of sight. It flew briskly towards a direction before spinning in one place. That's when Ethan made the connection.

 _Does it...want me to follow it? *sigh* This feels like the start of some bad horror movie. Going back inside might be my safest option..._

He steps toward the butterfly and it continues flying in the same direction. His assumption was right. Despite his reasonable doubt, he continued walking behind it; watching gracefully as it bounced in the air with each flap of its small wings, all the while glowing in the night air. Arcadia Bay felt like a ghost town at night, which made Ethan wonder about any odd folktales that might reside in the old little town. Save for a few houses and a couple of street posts, there were no strong lights to illuminate the way. That being said, it made the glowing butterfly that much easier to follow.

Eventually, the butterfly led him to an outer portion of the city that he didn't recognize at first. The dark of night made almost _everything_ unfamiliar to the eighteen year old, if he was being honest. It was made clear to him, though, once he had reached the sign at the entrance. It was the nature trail, the same one from yesterday with Chloe and Max. But...why bring him here? Of course, it could just be going home, meaning he followed it for no reason at all. Ethan was hoping that wasn't the case. This thing looked too damn special for it to be nothing.

He vaults over the chest high gate and continued following. From the entrance to the lighthouse, the trail takes about fifteen minutes (walking) to get there. But it was so dark, Ethan took careful steps to make sure he wasn't walking into any spider webs or something. Or even worse...He was watching out for frogs. He has a severe phobia of Frogs. The way the evil little bastards stare back at him when he spots them in the corners. As if they wait for him specifically to get the jump on him. They are nothing more than vile, wicked creatures, and exterminating them from the world would be a blessing!

Luckily, he doesn't run into such things. Ten minutes in, Ethan noticed he had finally gotten to one of the resting points just before the lighthouse. The butterfly stopped at the center of the grounds and spun around in circles. As he planted his feet next to it, a gust of wind blew through, igniting the trees around him with a natural dance; it's leaves chirping with the motion. Ethan glanced at the blue insect once more, before catching another sparkle in the corner of his eye. And then another, and another, and another...

He was surrounded by them, each hiding between the semi-dense trees on this cliff. The sparkles turned out to be _animals_ , ones with a...ghostly presence about them. They appeared to be translucent from far away, but they each glowed in their own shade. He could see snakes, butterflies, different breeds of birds, squirrels, bears, deer, and a few more he couldn't place; each one taking their own section of the treeline. Do all of these animals even _live_ in Arcadia Bay?

Ethan found himself in awe at the sight of them all. The butterfly bounced eagerly in front of his face, yearning for his attention once more. Once Ethan had given it, it began to fly up the path again to the lighthouse.

 _What's with all the glowing animals? Jesus...I didn't realize how ridiculous that actually sounded until I thought it. ...But...I'm not dreaming, am I? Or maybe I've gone so long without sleep that my eyes are playing tricks on me._

Another glowing form comes into view as he neared the lighthouse, it's own light beaming beyond this one. As he got closer, it took the shape of a Doe, just standing there at the top of the steps, gazing at something. The butterfly he had been following touches down on a post near the Doe, which Ethan assumes is because he's reached the lighthouse. But, why did it bring him _here_? Ethan Cole caught the animal's line of vision and trailed it until he found what it was looking at.

 _Is that...Is someone sitting there?_

Ethan moved cautiously towards the bench, confirming that there in fact _was_ a person sitting there as he got closer. A dark colored jacket (hard to tell with no strong source of light) and a beanie were the only distinguishable things he could notice from behind. Their frame was fairly small, so he assumed they were also female. He was about five feet away from the bench before observing that she had headphones on, and as he circled around, he called her by name.

"Chloe?" She didn't hear him, but as he leaned over slightly, he must have landed in her peripheral vision.

"What the fuck!?" She recoiled back in alarm, yanking out her headphones and putting a hand on her chest, "What are _you_ doing here?" She demanded.

"I was asking myself that same thing..." He muttered under his breath. Ethan looked back to where he came from, but the Doe and the butterfly he had followed to here were both gone. Had he imagined it?

"Did you, sleepwalk?" She asked sarcastically, and with a tone of voice Ethan wasn't sure was hostile or not, "Is that one of the 'powers' you and Max got?"

Ethan glances back at her, lightly smirking, "No, no, that's a medical condition. No reality-bending powers for something like that."

 _At least, I don't think there are...That would be a lame power._

Chloe sighed, annoyingly at his attempt at humor, "Then, why are you here?"

"Uh..." Ethan dropped his arms, slapping against his jeans, "I...guess I was out for a late night stroll, and I ended up here." He couldn't exactly say he followed a butterfly to here, could he?

"Well, go end up somewhere else." She replied, venomously.

This made Ethan's nose twitch and he narrows his eyes at her, "I'm sorry, did I _do_ something to you?"

"You're annoying me." Chloe glared at him with stern eyes.

" _I'm_ annoying you?"

"Yes." She deadpanned, "You're _still_ here."

He crossed his arms, "If I'm so annoying, then why would you invite me to go have breakfast with you and Max tomorrow?"

She bobbed her head towards him, disinterested, "I didn't invite, you. I invited, _Max_ , and she asked if she could bring you along. Can't leave without her 'guard dog', I suppose."

This time Ethan glares back at her, "If that were the reason, Max wouldn't need me. She already has _you_. And don't act like it's not true!" He leans back on one foot, "You proved _that_ the moment you saved her in the parking lot, and then again, with Mr. Madsen."

Chloe stayed silent, so Ethan continued, but this time with a lighter tone, "It's a real shame. Here I was thinking yesterday that you and I would quickly become friends."

"And what made you think that?" She asked, "You don't _know_ me."

"No, I don't," Ethan agreed, while exhaling, "But, I'd like to."

Chloe carefully examined his face, the annoyance still very clear on hers, "Why?" She simply asked.

Ethan considered his response, choosing now as the best moment for him to take a seat. He clicked his tongue off the top of his mouth, "I'll tell you why, if you can explain to me what _you're_ doing here."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "I don't really care that much."

Ethan chuckled, "Figured as much. I can make a pretty good assumption, but...that's your business. I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

"Thanks." She said, before puffing a joint Ethan hadn't seen placed next to her. Once she blew out the smoke, she turned to him, "You look hella tired, dude. Why aren't you at home, sleeping?"

"Wish I knew..." He said, inwardly.

Chloe didn't pick up on it though, so she spoke again, "Well, if you're not gonna be leaving any time soon, you can keep me occupied." She takes another hit, "What did you do today, Red?"

 _Wait, now she's being friendly again? Man, mood swings are such a bother..._

"Um. Okay, uh, I told Warren about Max having powers," said Ethan.

She raised an eyebrow, "You mean, you _and_ Max having powers, right?"

Ethan groaned, "Yeah, I mentioned myself too, but I don't really see myself as having powers—at least, not like hers anyway. I'm just aware of whenever she rewinds."

"Max told me you made a copy of my step-dick's tools yesterday, when you two were looking for it," She mentioned.

The way Chloe had said it, made Ethan wonder if she believed it, "And you don't believe her?" Ethan asked, flatly.

She shrugs, "David usually has a spare for almost all his shit, but I _do_ admire the creativity."

"Guess you'll find out if we're actually lying, tomorrow."

"Yep," She nods, blowing out a cloud of smoke, "So, Warren; that's the other one, right? The one who got left in the parking lot, yesterday?" Ethan answered with a nod of his own, "How'd he take it?"

Ethan exhaled through a closed jaw, "He took it the same way you did. Open minded, but hesitant to think it's true."

"Oh, that's funny," She says, "I was under the impression that he was a total geek. I thought he'd be giddy over something like this."

"Well, your impression is correct: he _is_ a geek," Ethan locked his fingers together before continuing, "But from what I gathered today, he's a very firm believer in Science; so, it makes perfect sense that he'd need proof of it, just like you."

"Okay. So, what else did you do?" Chloe inquired, leaning her head back on the bench.

"Hmm...I...Oh, apparently, I became the talk of the school today." She tilted her head, "I made fun of some Vortex Club girl, 'cause she was bullying Kate in the cafeteria this morning." He chuckles to himself, "It's some sort of known taboo among the students at the academy to _not_ mess with her, or something like that."

"Who's the girl?"

"Um, I think her name is: Victoria...Chase?"

The blue haired girl choked a little and began coughing lightly, "You made fun of Victoria Chase?" He nodded, "Damn, I wish I had seen the look on her face. What did you say to her?"

"I told her that if she was going to give life advice to anyone, that she should take her own advice to heart as well; otherwise, it doesn't really mean anything." He explained.

"Wise words," Chloe stated, "But that doesn't really sound like you made fun of her."

"Oh, I also called her a bitch and then addressed her as such."

Chloe burst into laughter, through closed lips, "See, that sounds more insulting. 'Bout time someone put her in her place." She inhales again on the joint, "This is the second day in a row you've played the hero, Red. _And_ , for the same girl. You got a little crush, or what?" She asked, teasingly.

Ethan's face burned warmly, "No, it—it's nothing like that, I just..." He sighs before looking down into his fingers, thoughtfully, "I hate bullies. And I know that seems like a cliched type of reasoning, but it's true. I have personal reasons behind it just like everyone else, sure. But it's rare that anyone actually decides to do something about it." He looks back up at her, "You ever hear the expression: 'It only takes one snowflake to start an avalanche'? Well, a _nyone_ can be the snowflake, they just need to be put into the right place."

"That's deep." Chloe said, sounding absolutely fried, "I'm gonna call you snowflake from now on."

Ethan chuckled into a fit of laughter, "What? No, stick to 'Red', that sounds way cooler. 'Snowflake' just reminds me too much of the movie _White Chicks_."

"Oh yeah!" She exclaimed, laughing, "That was a great movie." Ethan agreed as the two of them sat in silence, before Chloe continued, "There's gonna be fall back, you know? Victoria isn't the type to just let this sort of thing go."

"Yeah, Warren said the same thing..." mentioned Ethan, "But she's not the only one who can play dirty. If she decides to try anything, I'll get her back somehow."

"If you say so...I only get involved when it pertains to me or someone I care about. But intervening in a plight that doesn't concern you isn't always a good thing. When it comes down to a life or death decision, only the person directly involved can make the choice." Chloe says, "Making it for them would only delay the inevitable..."

Ethan considered her words, unraveling just how true they really were. Was he really helping Kate if _he_ was the one defending her, rather than letting her defend herself? The ideology of it makes sense, but then so does protecting her...doesn't it?

Chloe spoke again, "Or maybe, I'm just high as fuck."

They both laughed for a few seconds, then Ethan leaned forward and looked Chloe in the eye, "I told you about my day. Can you tell me why you're here, now?"

She glares at him from the corner of her eyes, not bothering to face him directly, "I didn't realize that we negotiated on those terms."

"We didn't, and you don't have to, but...I'd like to know."

This time, Chloe fully turns her head to him, examining the look he was wearing, before turning to face the cliff, "What do you think of the bay, right now?"

 _She's avoiding the question,_ Ethan thought. But he humored her anyway, looking out into the vast body of water that eventually lead into the beaches of the town. The Moon has been covered by clouds since the moment Ethan left his house, so the water carried a striking resemblance to that of a dark pit. He wasn't even able to see the waves being pushed by the gusty wind at this time of night.

"It's too dark to really see anything. Almost looks like I have my eyes closed," He says, telling his honest opinion, "It's...creepy."

"Exactly. I think it's interesting," Chloe begins, "That blind feeling it gives off because you can't see anything. You can _hear_ it, but you don't really notice what's happening before your eyes...For me, it's a reminder of how people in the world work. They hear the things happening around them, but they don't ever open their eyes to see what it is. Like Rachel disappearing. Everyone in town has seen the posters, yet not a single fucking person but me has been trying to find her. I mean, not even her parents! That's so fucked." She finishes.

"This...is about Rachel?" Ethan asked carefully.

"Sort of..." She mumbled, "I got into an argument with David. He said some things and then I said some things; eventually I just couldn't be in the house anymore. It was too dark at night to go into the junkyard, so I came here instead, try to clear my head." That explains why she was in such a sour mood earlier... "When I'm by myself I tend to think about her, and my dad, and...Max. It just, makes me angry...I'm sorry, for..."

Ethan cut her off, "Don't apologize, it's alright. I'm guilty of doing it too...But, are you still mad at Max?"

"No, I'm not mad at her, I'm just pissed that she left." She clears up.

"But that was five years ago, wasn't it?" She glanced up at him, "Look, I don't know what happened, and I know it's not any concern of mine, but...She really cares about you." Ethan licked his lips, "Yesterday, when I hung out with you two? I don't think I've ever seen two friends be so close and protective of each other as you two, and that was after _f_ _ive years_ of not seeing each other. You brought out another side of her, and she does the same for you, I'll bet."

She shrugged, "Maybe."

 _Man, she sure is difficult to get through to. Hardheaded. Though I'm pretty sure Max would be able to. Agh, I don't see what the point of me being here is..._

Chloe leaned her back on the bench and closed her eyes. After sitting for a few more minutes in silence, Ethan sighed and stood up, "Well, I'm gonna go ahead and leave you alone. I've gotta get some sleep." He yawns, as if on cue, "Night, Chloe."

"See you tomorrow, Snowflake." She smiled, prompting Ethan to mentally face-palm. He couldn't believe he started that...

Once he reached the entrance of the Nature Trail, he turned back to look at the lighthouse. What was it that he was supposed to do here?

Just as Ethan reached the front of his house, moonlight had finally escaped the clouds, and he looked up to a sight that made a shiver run up his back. The moon glowed a bright white, making it impossible to see the craters that covered its surface. It was also surrounded by a white halo and another dimmed source on either side. He reached into his pocket and took a picture of it with his phone.

 _What is going on?_

* * *

 **A/N : Props to anyone who knows what the phenomenon is there at the end! :)**


	13. You are Not My Equal

Chapter 12: You are Not My Equal

 **~Nathan~**

Nathan gazed upon the unnatural spectacle of the moon, not even realizing how far his mouth had become agape. The orbiting rock had become so bright it could almost take the appearance of a star, as it glistened whitely and twinkled with the halo being emitted from its core. The sight of the phenomenon was interesting, even beautiful, but most of all: a pleasant and necessary distraction. Anything to keep his mind off what was coming.

He let out a sigh and rest his against the window, the glass fogging up from his nasal exhales just before his driver spoke, "A gorgeous sight is it not?" He inquired with a thin Irish accent, though it was told more as a statement, "I believe it is called a _moon-dog_ , Master Nate."

Nathan glanced at him through the rear-view mirror from the back seat to acknowledge his words. He doesn't give much of a shit about the useless information, but he didn't want to be rude to him. Myles was the family butler and has been so for as long as Nathan could remember. His auburn hair was graying in patches, and his eyes had developed crow's feet a couple years back. Or maybe he had always had them; Nathan Prescott never cared to pay attention to that sort of thing. And why would he? Myles always did his best to please as many as he could, Nathan saw that an early age along with his sister, but his loyalty always had to be to his Father. They understood _that_ at around the same time as well.

Myles was tasked with bringing Nathan back home, which is why he was currently in the back seat of his Father's limousine. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence. After all, Nathan paid visits often, to see his mother every now and then. What truly made Nathan nervous, was the intention of the sudden visit, and the fact that he had been _summoned_ to the house, rather than invited. He didn't know what the purpose was for, especially at such a late hour. However…

 _Mr. Jefferson said he was going to tell him about what happened yesterday, but I didn't think he was being entirely serious…No…He wouldn't sell me out…would he?_

As far as Nathan knew, the two adults were on good terms and ate lunch together a few times, but he wondered if his father was aware of the… _activities_ , he and Mr. Jefferson had been partaking in for the past couple of months. Nathan doesn't mean to harm them, he just wanted to learn how his idol took such true and splendid shots! The day he told Nathan he was going to take him under his wing was the happiest he'd felt for a long time. The last time being before his sister, Kristine, left for South America to serve in the Peace Corp.

Mr. Jefferson had told him to help with supplying and location, and he would go on to teach him the routine. Find a subject, render them unconscious, take the photos, and place them back safe and sound, like nothing ever happened. How to capture pure expression from a human being, to photograph the way a person is truly feeling on the inside. Nathan figured that if he could find that inside of others, then perhaps he could better decipher how _he_ was feeling. About himself…About his life…About his Father…Just like Kris did…But he wanted to do it _his_ way. Only… _his_ way…got Rachel Amber killed…

He clenched his teeth.

"Why is it called that?" Nathan asked, trying to pull his thoughts away from that specific topic.

Myles giggled cheerily, "Well, how it got such a name, I'm not particularly sure! Its scientific name, however, is _paraselene,_ which means 'beside the moon'." The car shifts as they turn at the last light leading out of the city. The Prescott Estate was about a ten minute drive outside of town, but with all of the twists and turns along the way, it was easy for newcomers to get lost, "Awfully strange isn't it? That something like this happens the day after that peculiar snowfall, yesterday?"

"I guess..." He responded, mounting a fist underneath his chin.

Nathan didn't think much of the 'abnormal snowfall' that had dropped last evening, and why should he? It was just a bunch of fucking snow. _Oooh, climate change, who gives a shit? The media is making a much bigger deal out of it then it is_ , Nathan thought. Maybe they're looking for something to air on TV that isn't related to the election or the Festival going on later this week.

Nathan's pants vibrated friskily, notifying him of a text message. After fishing it out of his pocket, he saw the name displayed on the screen and a ghostly smile curved at the corner of his lips.

It was from Victoria.

 _ **-Do you NOT hear me knocking on your door?**_

 _-No. I don't actually. I'm not home._

 _Hmm...that's not technically true,_ Nathan supposed.

 _-Well, not at Blackwell anyway.._

 ** _-Not in Blackwell? It's passed one in the morning, where are you? There a party I don't know about?_**

 ** _-Please, who am I kidding? There is no party without me! lol ;P Seriously though, where are you? I have to show you something..._**

 _-I'm on my way home._

 ** _-...Home as in, Blackwell, or as in your Parents' house?_**

 _-My Dad told our butler to come pick me up._

 ** _-This late at night? What does he want with you that it can't wait until morning?_**

 _-Think he wants to talk to me about something.._

 ** _-You think it's in regards to yesterday?_**

Yesterday...felt like such a long fucking day. Nathan's nose twitched with a tinge of pain under its bandage, thinking upon the events that took place then. The blue-haired-scank was the one who started it, the source of his little outburst from yesterday. He had misinterpreted the dosage he used on her the night before, but it wasn't like he was going to harm her or anything. He only wanted a photo...The unconscious vibe she gave off seemed so familiar to him. Dark, desperate, and alone...Just one photo...that was all... but then, she woke up too early.

After she escaped in a frenzy, that bitch thought she could blackmail him into giving her pathetic ass some money! _No one_ uses Nathan Prescott! _Nobody!_ So he tried to make that fact abundantly clear to her, show her who's the real fuckin' boss! So he pulled his gun on her. He hadn't intended on shooting her, just scare her to the point where she'd get the message. In a way, Nathan was grateful for what happened after that; for when the anger starts to consume him, he loses sight of what's really happening. Which is where that basic bitch with the Polaroid came in.

Nathan had overheard Principal Wells and that security officer talking about how she was in the same girls bathroom when the fire alarm went off. He'd only seen the girl once or twice hanging around Mr. Jefferson's class and Victoria complained about her on a regular basis, but he never bothered saying 'what's up' to her before. Though, she never seemed too interested in talking much either, other than with that Science geek or Kate Marsh. One thought led to another, and Nathan decided to confront her himself, the thought solidifying once he caught her outside the student parking lot.

The plan was simple. If the girl, Max Caulfield, did actually see what happened in the bathroom, he was going to make sure she kept her mouth shut. For a moment, Nathan had all of the power, until her friends intervened...The geek was easy to deal with and a heat in the moment kind of thing, but that red-headed new kid managed to catch him off guard. Nathan poked at the bandage, feeling the sting from the pink colored wound. In the end they got away, which gave him cause enough to stay getting high in his room for the majority of the day, today. After all, if he was going to get busted, he may as well enjoy the free time he had left. However, the girl never said anything, and the high allowed him to think a little clearer. So perhaps she didn't know after all...Or maybe she was planning on eventually blackmailing him as well...

Either way, whether she said anything or not, the moment he had been dreading since he stormed off the parking lot was coming...

 _-I don't know._

 ** _-Well, If you need to talk afterwards, I'll pick up. I promise._**

Nathan smiled.

 _-I'm sure it'll be fine. What did you want to show me?_

 ** _-Check it out: [katesvid. com] I made it into a website!_**

Nathan clicked on the link, opening to the site with the web browser on his phone. The homepage had a picture with Kate Marsh sitting on a bench outside the dormitory, with a text beside it saying: 'Check out Kate's tongue record!' Underneath was the video labeled: 'Kate at the Vortex Club!' It began playing automatically and Nathan turned down the volume as the music in the background boomed during the recording. He hadn't expected her to act so crazy during the party, after all, he only spiked her drink a little to sedate her. The unplanned result was a welcome sight however, as it was incredibly funny to watch.

An awful feeling began to well up in Nathan's chest...

 _-I thought you weren't going to make a website?_

 ** _-I know, but then that whole business with the fucking ginger happened this morning, and I HAD to retaliate somehow! It's hilarious, right? Who is he anyway?_**

 _-Some new kid that hasn't been made aware of the natural order of things. He's the same guy I fought with yesterday._

 ** _-Seriously? WTF is his problem? He needs to be taught a lesson, same as Max._**

The vehicle is suddenly pulled to a stop and Nathan realizes he's arrived.

 _-Couldn't agree more. I g2g, just got home._

 ** _-GL_**

Myles was already at his side, opening the door for him to step out effortlessly. He gazed upon his childhood home as if he was looking at it for the first time, feet planted firmly on the red-bricked path that leads up to the house. Rows of flowers running parallel with each other, curving into semi-circles as it goes around the granite fountain isolated in the center. Sign posts of the election were displayed in several sections of the freshly mowed lawn. Nathan followed Myles up the steps, unable to peel his eyes off the floor. He studied the outlines of each brick, connecting to the other as if he were playing a mental game of _Tetris_. Each step made him that more anxious to get along with it.

Reaching the top, Nathan noticed the lack of staff around the estate. Usually there were much more workers present, making sure security was good, doors constantly being tended to; then again it _was_ pretty late. Myles gripped the handle and pulled the front door open courteously, beckoning a hand for him to enter. Nathan swallowed his feelings and entered with as much bravado as he could muster up.

The main hall of the house cried out an echo with each step he made, and cried even harder with the closing of the door behind him. Nathan looks at Myles who smiles thinly and looks through him, transitioning to a reverent bow of his head. Turning around, Nathan saw why. A woman in a burgundy velvet laced robe, arms crossed, standing in the middle of the hallway. The irritation in her eyes from lack of sleep was prominently displayed as he approached her.

"Hey, mom." He greeted her, not bothering to hide his own fatigue.

"Hello, Nate." She acknowledged as sweetly as she could before grabbing his face, "Is _this_ what happened at school this time?" She questioned, "Have you not been taking your medication again? You know what happens when you don't."

He yanked his head away, the anger threatening to make an appearance, "Where's dad?"

She sighs heavily before crossing her arms against her chest, "He's in the study. He's been waiting for you." Nathan began walking past her, "Why do you keep getting yourself into trouble, Nathan? Your father is already stressed enough about the election this weekend without having to worry about you."

 _"Whatthefuckever,"_ he wanted to say, _"Maybe if he actually paid more attention to me, he wouldn't_ have _to worry."_ But the words never reached beyond his thoughts...

He continued, pivoting to the left as he moved down the corridor. With the passing of each door, Nathan became vividly aware of his breathing and the amount of saliva he had obtained in the back of his throat. The pressure in his chest was at the point that it felt like he was suffocating and the walls around him began to turn. To say he was nervous at this point would be insufficient to describe how he was truly feeling.

Finally, he found himself in front of the door. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a few deep breaths to maintain his composure as best he could, before grabbing the doorknob and stepping inside.

Nathan hasn't been in here since before he left for school, but it's appearance didn't change much. The color coating was a combination of beige, brown, and green; the first two covering the walls extensively, along with the bookshelves neatly tucked in the corners, filled with the history of Arcadia Bay and his ancestors. Nathan had never met his grandfather, but apparently he believed that it was important for every Prescott to learn such things, in order to have all the knowledge of the land from which the family name originated. Nathan Prescott has yet to read anything, though.

The room was dimly lit by a lamp located on his father's desk, and the green carpeting blended nicely in the dark, but it wasn't difficult spotting him. His shadowy figure standing at his desk, back facing the door as he gazed out the window that leads to the balcony, with a perfect view of the... _moon-dog_. After closing the door, the nineteen year old realized his father hadn't acknowledged his presence yet, which unnerved him greatly. Once he began speaking, Nathan surmised that he was in a phone call.

"Yes, my thoughts exactly..." He says, "So we're in agreement, then? She has an unmatched public standing within the community of Arcadia Bay. Having her with us I believe would be beneficial to our cause..." He paused, "We'd keep her on a need to know basis, only show her what's happening from the outside. She doesn't need to be involved with _the project_. Anyhow, I must go. We'll discuss this further in the morning."

With that the room was filled with a palpable silence, his anxiety creeping up on him like an assassin ready to kill. Nathan tucked his hands into his jacket pocket, fidgeting with the seams at the bottom to help him cope secretly. Sean Prescott inhaled sharply through his nose and exhaled, grabbing at a bottle of whisky that was hiding in a drawer. He then grabs two cups as well, the glass clinking together before placing them on top of the table and carefully putting a small amount of the liquor in each one.

"Sit," he deadpanned, twisting the cap back onto the battle.

Nathan shuffled over to a chair, avoiding the one he knew was his father's favorite, and sat down meticulously, as if even the slightest wrong movement might get him into more trouble. Taking a glass in each hand, his father strolled around the desk and then sauntered over to his chair, placing them both down on the side table next to it. He leaned forward, two hands linked together in front of his mouth as he examined him. Nathan looked down, away from the embarrassment of his examining eyes.

"You look pitiful," He sates, before gesturing to his nose, "Ethan Cole do that to you?"

Nathan still couldn't find the nerve to look up, but he shrugged, "I don't know his name. Some new kid..."

"Right," he mumbled quietly, "How did it happen?"

"Mr. Jefferson didn't tell you...?"

"I want to hear it from you," He replied directly, "My own flesh and blood."

Nathan felt like his tongue was being constricted in the back of his throat, clogging up his words, "I...uh..."

"Don't look down," He says curtly, "You look me in the eye when you speak to me."

Nathan swallowed hard before sluggishly flicking his eyes further and further up until he was staring at brown circles, "We got into a fight in the school parking lot..."

"Mhmm. And who initiated this altercation in the parking lot?"

He breathed in and out twice before replying, "This girl Max, took a picture of me and I was trying to make her get rid of it."

"So it was _you_ that started it then?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No..." Nathan tried to sound firm with his voice, "It was that bitch's friend who tried to get physical—"

Sean slams a fist against his chair, abruptly cutting him off as his voice took a damn near menacing tone, "Don't you _dare_ lie to my face, Nathan! I've already seen the footage from the parking lot." Nathan was taken aback by the outburst, feeling smaller than a mouse as he continued, "It's bad enough I have to condone to the repulsive shit you do with that _disgusting_ man. At least, until he outlives his usefulness..."

 _Wait, so...he knows? Does that mean he also knows about, Rachel Amber? And what does he mean by Mr. Jefferson outliving his usefulness?_

His father scooped up a glass, shaking it slightly back in forth in his hand, watching the contents sway in each direction, "Your grandfather sat me down in this very room when I was about your age, telling me about how I was to carry on the family legacy, just as you will one day..." The corner of his mouth twitched, "To celebrate my official joining into our family's foundation, we shared a cup of whiskey; the very same one that's been passed down from generation to generation. It was the happiest day of my life, because it meant that I was no longer just his son, but also his equal...I hope that one day, I can relive that moment with you, my son. However, presently..."

"You _disgust_ me," Nathan's chest felt like it shattered, hearing what no child should ever have to hear, "You are nothing but an embarrassment to the family name. I gave you one simple task after getting into Blackwell, didn't I? I gave you a position of power within the Vortex Club. I fund your stupid little parties, I pay for your books, and yet you can't even do the _one_ thing I asked of you." He shook his head, "I told you to stay out of trouble until the election was finalized and you do the exact opposite..."

Nathan's face was getting hot and the tears were banging on the ducts, threatening to come out, "Until you prove yourself and stop acting like a damned fool," He swallows the brown liquid in one gulp, smacking his lips together afterwards, "You are unfit to carry on the family name and do not deserve to be treated as _my_ equal." He arose from the chair, placing the empty and full glasses back on the desk, "The induction will be during the festival this weekend. Try not to do anything blatantly stupid until then." His words passed through like a cold front, and he downed the other glass, "That will be all for tonight, Nathan. Myles will transport you back to Blackwell. I trust you can close the door on your way out."

It took a few seconds for Nathan to control his body's actions, but even then, his legs moved lifelessly as he made his way out his childhood home. It was only when he was back in the limousine, staring again at the distracting sparkle of the moon that he finally allowed the tears to come out.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Short chapter, I know, but it had to be done. The Prescott Estate will be explained in more detail in a later chapter, with a different character. I just figured if Nathan lived there his whole life and visited often, it wouldn't really make sense to describe everything around him, you know?**

 **We'll be starting episode two with the next chapter by the way, which I am very excited to write for, since it was after episode two that I really fell in love with this game ;)**

 **Oh, on a side note: if anybody doesn't know this, katesvid. com is an actual website (without the space of course) that the devs made as an easter egg for the fans. I'm sure you all know that by now, but I have a friend who didn't so...if you didn't know either, then there you go lol**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it and I'll see you in two weeks :)**


	14. A Friend in Need

**A/N : Before we get started, I just want to thank you all for putting up with such a long wait, I realize how long it's been and I apologize for that! But so you guys aren't kept in the dark for too long like this again, I'm going to be putting up chapter news on my profile page, so you'll know if something is going on that would delay the story, or if you'll have to wait longer than usual for the next update. **

**But again, thank you all so much for all of the follows, favorites, reviews and PM's I've gotten since the story went on the unexpected hiatus. I was involved with some other things that demanded my attention more, but hearing from you guys just kept fueling me to get back as soon as I could!**

 **Anyway, enough with the jibber-jabber! Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Chapter 13: A Friend in Need

 **~Maxine~**

 _ **BZZZD**_ ** _  
 **BZZZD**  
 **BZZZD**_**

Max groggily slaps the screen on her phone with some distaste, silencing the annoying alarm clock she had set up two nights before. She found that the longer she used the same alarm clock, the less chance it had of waking her up. So after she became late to her first class more than a few times, Max decided it best to take some precautionary measures and change her ring tone every couple of weeks or so. And with the amount of sleep she's gotten these past two nights, it was starting to seem like her worst idea yet...

 _Would five more minutes in bed be so bad? *sigh*_

She twists underneath her bed sheets so that she was facing the ceiling rather than the inviting darkness of her pillow. She could easily fall back asleep otherwise. Kate always teases her about that, how notorious she is for sleeping in. She doesn't deny it one bit though; she enjoys the extra sleep, just not when it starts affecting her grades. But Kate usually wakes up before everyone else does. In fact, Max was surprised she managed to catch her in the cafeteria for breakfast yesterday. If it wasn't for Ethan keeping her waiting, she would have been off to class before Max even left the dorm.

 _He sure made up for it though. Victoria's face after he told her off was waaayyy too funny!_

Suddenly a roll of drums began emitting from her stereo, making her jolt up briefly before the soft tones and vocals of the Alt-J reverberated off the small space in her room. If she wasn't awake before, she certainly was now. Max had set up her stereo to play _"Something Good"_ as another alarm for herself, in case she went back to sleep after her cell phone's alarm, like she almost did...

 _That worked out better than I thought...I still don't feel like getting up, but at least I can do it listening to something good. Oh...Hey, I just made a joke!_

Max pivots with her butt to pull her legs out underneath the covers and then folds the covers to the end of the bed. With a yawn, she stretches her arms outwardly allowing the muscles to wake up, until there was a satisfying crack and her body became more appreciative to be awake. Her phone's text ringtone goes off and Max eagerly picks it up off the side of her bed, where she left it charging last night. Her face brightened into a big smile.

It was from Chloe! She unlocked her phone and read the message, then replied back.

 _ **\- u there mad max**_

 _\- Like I said. Always for you_ _  
 _:) :) :) :)__

 _ **\- NO EMOJI!**_

 _\- :(_

 ** _\- meet me at the diner in 40_**

 _\- I'll be there!_

 ** _\- do not be late_** ** _  
 _or I'll know time is not on your side__**

 ** _\- Don't go getting high with ethan like in my room_**

 _\- On my way. :)_

 ** _\- u r EVIL_** ** _  
 _40 minutes_  
 _or else__**

Max chuckled to herself and then sighed as she stood up off the bed. She turns herself so that she was facing the mirror and inhaled deeply before exhaling at her reflection. Her hair was an absolute mess, with ruffled strands of hair splitting in different directions. Her muscles may have woken up slightly, but her face certainly wasn't on the same page, with dark circles painted underneath her eyes.

 _Woah, hello zombie-face. This is what happens when you research quantum physics for two nights in a row...Man, being a superhero sure is dirty work. I need a shower._

The brunette sauntered over to her closet and grabbed a hold of her shower supplies.

 _Just because some ass pranked a girl's shampoo bottle and her hair fell out, we have to safeguard our toiletries._ So _summer camp..._

With said toiletries now in hand, Max Caulfield unlocks her room door and steps out into the hallway. This time in the morning, the dorm house was especially lively, with all of the tenants trying to complete their morning rituals whilst conversing with one another to start their day. There was always a lot of through traffic among the girls, waiting for their turns to take a shower or use the sink to brush their teeth, and as annoying as it could be, Max sort of enjoyed it that way. Or maybe she preferred the difference to growing up an only child. That doesn't help the fact that she's socially awkward every now and then. But just because she _is_ doesn't mean she hates talking to people, she's just afraid she might say the wrong thing and make them upset.

 _Guess I won't have to worry about_ that _anymore. But I won't use it carelessly, only if I mess up big time._

There is one downside to her living conditions though, and it's that her room is directly across from Victoria's. Speaking of the wicked witch, as Max closes her door behind her, she sees Victoria ordering Courtney to make sure she get's her tests and papers done by tonight. The sad thing is, Courtney just seems to follow blindly and acknowledges that she'll have it done by this afternoon, before queen bee shut the door in her face. Max found it difficult to understand why Courtney didn't mind being treated in such a way, as if she's just a loyal servant, even though they're supposed to be friends.

Shaking her head, Max continued down the hall towards the showers. Every room has a small whiteboard next to its door for any messages the tenant wants to put out, like a quote or a note saying they'll be gone for a bit. Unfortunately, the one by Kate's pulls Max towards it and she frowns at the crude image. It was a poor drawing of a butt, with a text next to it, saying: 'Will bang for God'. A second after reading it, Max wiped it off with her hand, blanking the board completely. Why didn't anyone wipe this off earlier? Max didn't think it was funny in the slightest.

The restroom door opens and Max witnesses a roll of toilet paper getting launched out the crack of the open door and hit Alyssa on the back of the head. The pink/violet haired girl grunts and rubs her head in annoyance from the surprise attack. That's when a smirk crept at the corner of Max's lips.

 _I can fix that..._

Raising her right hand, Max focused her rewind back ten seconds, feeling the fabric of time bend to her will before dropping her hand. Now she had to move quick to warn her.

Max tapped Alyssa's shoulder, "Alyssa, could you stand over there?"

She tilted her gaze at her in a confused manner, "Uh, okay, Max. If that makes you happy..." Alyssa does as requested and right after, the toilet paper was launched yet again, but this time hitting the bulletin board rather than the poor girl, "Wow, now that was close. Thank you, Max."

Max Caulfield waved her hand in reply before Alyssa returned her thoughts to the bulletin board.

 _Max, you are totally awesome! I saved Alyssa again today, just like two days ago with the football outside. I think I might be getting the hang of these powers...I'm going to need a secret identity soon if this keeps up._

On that note, Max found her way into the shower room and walked inside. The temperature shifted almost instantly upon entry, with the warm steam of the hot showers contrasting to the relatively cold a/c out in the hall. The door closes behind her and Max is surprised by whom she sees standing in front of the sink.

Kate is an early bird, so it's very shocking she's still here when Max is just waking up. The way she was brushing her teeth made Max wonder if she was feeling okay. She wasn't even looking at herself in the mirror, and despite having just showered, her complexion was more flushed than anything. Did she not sleep last night?

Max moved over to her, "Hey, Kate." She greeted, softly, "How are you doing?"

"I'm here." She replies halfheartedly and with a forced smile, "Thanks for sticking up for me yesterday, with Victoria I mean. I didn't get the chance to tell you, but it meant a lot. I needed that."

Max raised both eyebrows, slightly taken aback, "Me? I didn't do much, it was Ethan who did that, remember?"

"He did." She confirmed, her smile growing just larger than Max had seen it these past few days, "It's kind of hard to forget. But you spoke first and I'm very grateful for that."

"Anytime." Max told her, "That girl has some issues."

"Doesn't everybody here?" Kate responds before leaning on the sink, gripping gently on the white porcelain with both hands, "By the way Max, do you still have my copy of 'The October Country'?"

It took Max a second but it came to her like a light switch. Kate had let her borrow it a little while back, but she hadn't gotten a chance to read it all the way through.

"Oh. Yes, of course." Max says, "It's great so far. I didn't realize Bradbury was such a poet."

Kate rubbed one hand against the other that was still holding on to the toothbrush. But the way her arms moved made it look tired and a little forced, "Can you please bring it back to my room this morning? I just need to take some notes for class." She explained.

Max answered quickly, "Absolutely. I'll bring it by later once I'm done getting ready."

Without another word, Max's tea-loving friend smiled before turning around towards the sink and continued brushing her teeth.

Max turns around as well, at long last stepping into a shower booth. She pulls the curtain for it to close, leaving a centimeter of open space at the edge where the plastic meets the gray tiles of the booth. With a squeak of the metal nob, hot water began pouring out of the shower head, hitting Max Caulfield with a wave of relaxation as the change in temperature prickled her skin with goosebumps. Max shuffled in place and tilted her neck, allowing the water to engulf the rest of her body.

The eighteen year old closed her eyes and embraced this bliss moment before her mind began to wander. She was glad that she was able to help Kate, at least a little, but Max found herself wishing she could do more for her. It sucks seeing her frowning all the time, especially when she has such a nice smile. Kate was the first person to actually communicate with her outside of class at Blackwell, to reach out to her despite her socially awkward self.

It was during lunch hour, Max remembered. She was sitting on the the grass underneath a tree that was protectively providing some shade from the beaming sun. She had been there minding her own business, slowly working on her food, when Kate had walked up to her. Even though they had already introduced themselves to each other on the first day of school, it was the first time Max was speaking to her outside of class and dorm, and Kate asked if she could sit down with her. During that time, they mainly talked about hobbies, future goals, and religious beliefs—namely Kate's. Max found it kind of adorable and yet also fascinating how firmly she believed in Christianity, especially since she wasn't sure about her own beliefs. Still isn't, if she's being honest.

After the bell had rung for the next set of classes, Kate made her promise to try and speak up more often, and then complemented her on her personality.

 _"Can we hug on it?"_ She had said. A request so out of the blue from someone she barely knew, but from Kate it didn't seem weird at all. She may not have been her first friend here at Blackwell (a title owned proudly by Sir Warren Graham), but she was certainly the first to persuade her out of her comfort zone.

 _I am going to help you through this, Kate. I promise._

Over the patter from the water as it hit the floor, Max heard a faint creaking from the bathroom door and opened her eyes when she heard a new voice enter.

"What's up, Kate?" Victoria said.

"...School." Kate deadpanned after a few seconds.

"That's it?" A second voice 'asked', sounding a lot like Taylor.

Max turns around and positions herself so that she can peek through the small opening at the edge.

"That video of you clubbing didn't look like homework..." Victoria says, snobbishly.

Kate had her head down when she spoke, "Victoria, everyone on social media has already seen that video...Please, stop. That wasn't me..."

"Oh my god, you're right." Taylor snickered to Victoria, "She _doesn't_ know yet."

"Know what?" Kate glanced at Taylor, pleadingly.

Victoria scoffed, "Social Media? I'm a woman of honor, and I told you yesterday that I would make a website for you, didn't I?" The Queen bitch uncaps a stick of lipstick and proceeds to write something on the mirror before capping it again. "So there, now the whole world can see your fun little wild night."

Kate's jaw drops in panic and her right hand squeezes the seam of her pajama pants tightly.

"Don't be shy." Victoria comforts sarcastically, "I personally think it's awesome you set a tongue record on video..."

Taylor guffaws in the corner, while Kate shakes her head and muttered on the verge of tears as she made her exit, "You're going to be sorry someday."

"Oh boo hoo, I'm sorry you're a viral slut." Victoria hissed back once the door had closed, "I'm sure she had fun."

"Looks like it." Taylor agreed.

"I know Nathan hooked her up. And you _know_ he has the good shit." Victoria commented.

"Preach it sista." Taylor chuckled, "That must have felt pretty good after what happened last morning."

Victoria looked at herself in the mirror, her face as clean and perfect as a Barbie doll. "Oh no, I still need to deal with that fucking ginger. He made me look weak in front of the entire cafeteria. He needs to know his place in our little society here."

"I know," Taylor said, crossing her arms, "That's all you've been talking about since yesterday."

"Exactly. _This_ was just icing on the cake." She gestures to the writing in lipstick before wiping at her cheek with her thumb, where the spot of paint Ethan had pointed out was yesterday. "Of course, I wouldn't have to plan any revenge had my _best_ _friends_ been more observant. Or faster." She glares at Taylor.

Suddenly, Taylor's voice became significantly smaller, "I told you, we ran as fast we—"

"Give it a rest, Taylor!" Victoria cuts her off with a wave of her hand, "Now I know if I'm in an accident I won't rely on you or Courtney for help. You can hang out with Kate...Or _Max_." Her name was said so disdainfully it almost sounded taboo, like Voldemort in Harry Potter.

For the next few seconds everyone was quiet, with the dropping of the shower water being the only thing to fill the silence. Max chewed on her lower lip, ashamed of herself. Despite promising that she would help Kate, she didn't do a thing just now when she needed to. But she was in the shower, so technically what could she do? It was just...bad timing...At the very least, it's what she can tell herself to keep from feeling worse about this situation. Ethan might also be interested to know Victoria is plotting something for him as well.

"She's a weirdo with that dumb camera." Taylor says, snidely.

Victoria groans, "I hate that 'I'm so quirky' crap. Anyway, let's leave. The heat is starting to make me feel sticky."

Max turns off the shower and proceeds to dry herself off with the towel before putting on her clothes. Once she was sure the bathroom door closed, she walked out through the shower curtain, holding her shower supplies in one hand. As she stepped closer to the mirror, she could finally read the writing Victoria had written earlier.

 _She actually made a website for Kate's video? Damn, Victoria is so fucking mean. I can't let this stay here, it'll only make things worse for her._

With her free hand, Max turns on the sink and wets her hand, all the while apologizing to the person still in the shower before turning it off. Now that her hand was dripping, she wiped it across the mirror, smearing the link to an unintelligible state.

Max smiled.

 _Even if I can stop one person from watching it, it's worth it. *sigh* Alright, I better get dressed, then go give back Kate's book._

It didn't take very long for Max to return to her room and it took just as long to decide on her choice of apparel. Just a shirt, jeans, and her gray zip-up jacket to complete it. It was no different from what she usually wore, but she didn't mind. Einstein had the exact same suit for every day of the week, and he couldn't even rewind time! Besides, this doe shirt is too adorable _not_ to wear.

 _Now...where did I put that book again? Let's see...I was sitting on my cot reading it a few days ago, then I rented all of those books Warren recommended and I put it aside._

With searching eyes, Max sauntered over to her couch and scanned for the particular book. Apparently it wasn't anywhere on the top, but neither was it underneath after shuffling the other books around to check. Bending down to her knees, Max considered that she dropped it and maybe it went below the furniture. But alas, she found nothing but dust bunnies. She made a note to herself to clean her room sometime this week. When she leaned back up again, she was eye level to a soda she was drinking last night and behind it was a book hiding underneath a sheet of paper.

Grinning at her brilliant observation skills, Max stands up and removes the paper to reveal 'The October Country' then grabs at it with her other hand. Unfortunately, Max being the klutz she is, accidentally hits the glass of soda, spilling the contents of it all over the Novel.

 _Of course you just spilled soda on Kate's book. I need to fix this fast. Kate needs the book and I don't want to add to her list of problems, she has more than enough already._

Raising her right hand, Max rewinded about five seconds to where the liquid retreated back to the cup before resuming time.

 _Be gone foul soft drink! Your tasty self is not needed right this moment! Now I can finally take this back to Kate before I'm late._ As if _I have to worry about being late anymore...I_ do _have all the time in the world now._

This time she puts it more to the side, where her arm wouldn't hit it on the way. At least if it did, it would only land on her things and no one else's. Grabbing the book more efficiently this time, she shoulders her messenger bag and makes her way out of the room, locking it behind her. A few paces down the hall later and Max was facing the door to Kate's room. However, before she could knock, Max noticed something that made her frown.

The white board next to her door—the one she had erased earlier—was still carrying the same vulgar idiotic message. But how was it still there? Had somebody put it back up while she was taking a shower? That's when Max realized, as the guilt settled into the pit of her stomach, that the message was put back up because of _her_. When she rewinded to help Alyssa from getting hit, she rewinded back too much and wound up reverting the white board back to the way it was. Max felt disappointed for being so reckless. Coming back to her room and seeing this, after what happened with Victoria in the bathroom it couldn't have made things any easier. She wiped it off again, before it did any further damage.

The phone in her pocket pings and she brings it out to see she received a text...from an unknown number...She read the message, carefully.

 _- **Keep your smart mouth shut about everything. Or I'm coming for your ass. I know where you sleep.**_

 _Oh shit, now I'm getting anonymous threats? It never ends...This_ has _to be from Nathan...But it_ is _a private number, so I guess it could be anybody...I better be doubly careful around here or I could be in serious danger. Ethan too...I wonder if he's gotten any messages like this._

Stowing the phone away in her pocket, Max knocks on the door, "Kate? You in there?"

She replies through the door, hollowly, "Yes, I'm here. Come in, Max..." She does so and closes the door after, "Just give me a minute, okay?" She requests while sitting at her desk in the back left corner of the room, her voice on the verge of breaking. Max considered leaving for a moment, to just leave the book and go meet up with Chloe at the Diner. But instead, she nodded and took this time as an opportunity to examine her room. She wasn't going to hear all the details about it verbally from her, and the more she knows, the better she'd be able to help her friend.

This was the second time Max had ever been inside Kate's room. The walls were painted with the same beige color as the others, but it looked particularly cleaner here for some reason. Kate Marsh was always the cleanly type anyway, so it makes sense that her room would be immaculate. A blue couch sat sideways along the wall closest to the door where a violin lay on its back, lightly perched on the edge of its open case. Max hadn't seen her play the violin in over a week, but she could still remember the sweet sound it made when it echoed across the hall to her room every morning. Next to the instrument was a tablet, still turned on too, so Max had to assume it had recently been used. It was left open on a rather upsetting message from Kate's mom, talking about how she's seen the video and hopes Kate didn't bring shame to herself or her family. The fact that those words came from her own mother? It made Max grimace.

 _Kate is all alone dealing with this video bullshit. I hope her mother doesn't disown her..._

Max turns around, catching sight of the mirror that sat adjacent to the door on the wall. It was covered by a piece of cloth, which brought Max to wonder: Can she not even look at her own reflection? Moving along, the bed was neat and tidy, not a single wrinkle within the tight flat surface of the fabric. Unfortunately, that's where the niceties end, for when she reached the nightstand and dresser next to the bed, their somber essence matched with everything else she's seen so far.

The trashcan was stuffed with used up tissues. No doubt Kate has been crying a lot, probably been going through boxes of them. Max reached out and grabbed at the post card on top of the small table. It displayed a single candle that illuminates the dark background behind it. In a way, Mac could see the image is meant to symbolize hope when things are looking grim. The true message was in the back, though, with her Father's words written: 'Katie, you'll always be my brightest light against the dark.' With his signature being 'POP'.

 _Kate has a really doting father. This must mean a lot to her, especially after what her mother sent her._

Next to the bunny cage on top of the dresser, Max found a photo of Kate with Stella and Alyssa, and then another with both of her sisters.

 _I had no idea that Kate ever hung out with Alyssa and Stella...Her sisters, they look so much like each other. And I don't think I've ever seen Kate smile so big like that. They must be very close._

Max turned her attention to the bunny in it's cage.

 _That is the cutest bunny ever! I bet Kate is a good mommy. I don't think she'd mind if I took a quick photo..._

Equipping her Polaroid camera, Max takes a step back for a good angle and takes the shot. The analogue camera whirs as it mechanically spits out a fresh photo. With a shake, she puts them both back into her camera bag.

"What was that?" Kate asked with a sniffle.

"Sorry, I-I took a photo of your bunny." Max explained, "I hope that's okay, it's hella cute."

It took Kate a moment to process her words, as if she were trying to decipher a message, before just waving her hand, "Oh, th-that's fine. She is really cute."

 _Now's as good a time as any to approach her._

"H-hey, I brought your book." Max said, flashing the book in her hand.

Kate looked up at her with puffy red eyes, "Max, why did you try to defend me yesterday?"

The tone in her friend's voice made it seem like she was accusing her of something; but regardless, Max Caulfield answered honestly, "I hate bullies. Victoria is as old as we are, she should know better by now."

"Yeah, she should. I don't know why she acts like that." She murmurs, "But...thanks for caring about me Max..."

"Kate, I actually _do_ care." Max told her. There was something Max wanted to speak to Kate about, regarding that whole scene with David Madsen the other day. Ethan didn't know why he was messing with her either, "So, what's the story with you and David? Ethan told me what happened, and I mean Victoria is a bitch, but Mr. Madsen is a security guard."

Kate nods her head and sighs, "Well...He's a total paranoid ass! He thinks I'm part of the Vortex Club. Yeah, right."

Max crossed her arms, "Why does he think that?"

"Because he saw the video." She answered, raucously. Max was surprised, she had never seen Kate act this way. In fact, Max isn't sure she ever heard Kate cuss until today! This whole situation is just really beating her down. The church girl inhaled deeply before sighing, "Do you know how humiliating this is for me?"

Max gestured with her hands as she spoke, "I know this sucks, Kate, but...tell me about the video and maybe I can help."

Kate glanced at her ceiling, ponderously, "Basically, I went to one Vortex club party and ended up making out with a bunch of people...and I have no memory of it..." She finished weakly.

That sounds terrible...But a Vortex Club party would be the last thing Max would expect Kate to attend, "So, why did you go to begin with?"

"Lapse of sanity?" Kate guessed, trying to justify it herself, "I just thought I could meet some new people."

Max sighed internally, that doesn't help her much with an explanation, "You have to tell me more than that. What happened at the party? Did you drink?"

"I swear to God I had _one_ sip of red wine. And then I drank water."

"Are you sure it was just one sip?"

Kate frowned, "I take a sip at church and I don't end up on a viral video, okay?"

"Did somebody drug you?" Max pressed, delicately to avoid making her more upset.

Kate whispered, "I remember...I remember getting sick and dizzy..."

"Go on." Max urged her, crossing her arms.

"Then Nathan Prescott said he would take me to the hospital..."

Max's eyes grew twice in size upon mention of the name, "Nathan Prescott? Oh shit!"

"He was being nice for a change when he offered to help me."

"He's the _opposite_ of nice." Max corrected, "What next?"

Kate licked her lips, "All I recall is driving for a long time...then I woke up in a room...I-I thought it was a hospital because it was so white and bright..."

Kate paused for a moment and Max patted her shoulder, "Go on, I'm listening."

"Th-there was a voice. Somebody was talking to me in a soft voice...I thought it was a doctor...until I heard Nathan and felt a sharp sting in my neck...and...and..."

"And?" Max repeated, hoping to hear more.

Instead, Kate shook her head, "That's all I remember! I don't know what happened...I woke up outside my dorm room the next day." She touched her arms, "I didn't have any marks or bruises or anything, but I felt gross."

Max shuddered, thinking back to what Chloe told her of her own experience with Nathan Prescott, "So, who took the video of you at the party?"

"I have no idea." She sobbed, "Probably Victoria. She was there being her _mean_ self."

That was as good as Max's guess, "Jesus Kate, I'm sorry. This is serious shit."

"How do you get a viral video taken down?" Kate wondered, "I know it's already spreading—what if my church sees that? I need to know what to do..."

Honestly, Max wanted to give her the right answers, but she just wasn't sure what the right answers would be in this situation, "Have you tried asking Ethan for any advice?"

She shook her head, "I sent him a text, but he's not responding to any of them, or my calls. I don't think he wants to deal with any of my drama..."

"Come on, you know that's not true." Max defended, "If that were the case, he wouldn't have told off Victoria yesterday, or ran a _marathon_ to just have breakfast with you. He's probably still asleep or something."

Kate hung her head, "I guess...but I mean, how much do we really know about him? He could be fake like almost everyone else at this damn school."

This time Max shook her head, "He's not. Trust me, Ethan's a good person."

"You only met two days ago." Kate pointed out, "How can you be sure?"

In truth, Max wasn't sure why she was. She could...feel it, somehow...She just _knew_.

"Kate, we'll figure all of this out." Max says, getting back on topic, "I'll check back later, okay?"

"Thanks, Max..." Kate gestures to a spot on the floor, "You can put my book here, near my bag." Max did as she said and placed it on top of the cushion next to her bag. Soon after, Kate spoke up again, "So Max, can I ask you a question? And please be honest."

"Absolutely, Kate. Anything."

Max noticed Kate close her hand on the corner of her desk chair, seemingly rubbing her thumb against the fabric, "I need to find out if Nathan Prescott helped me...or hurt me after that party." She looked away briefly at the word 'hurt', "Should I go to the police?"

Max gulped hard as a strange pressure built up in her throat. Both Ethan and Chloe said it was a good idea that they didn't tell Principle Wells about Nathan waving a gun around. Back at the parking lot, Nathan also mentioned that his family _owned_ the cops in Arcadia, and it's not like she and Kate have any outstanding evidence either, so would calling the Police really do any good in the long run besides putting Kate in the spotlight? That would only make things worse...What would Chloe or Ethan do...?

The words just rolled off her tongue, "If you do that, they won't believe you. You're on video grabbing at _all_ those guys and they'll use that against you. _Bad_."

"But I _know_ I was drugged—"

"That's what _you_ have to prove. Not _them_." Max stated, "I'm just telling you how the cops and school will look at this. The video doesn't exactly back you up..."

"You make me feel so hopeless." Kate admits, sadly.

"No, no, Kate. I just don't want you to get hurt any more..."

Kate furrows her brow, "That seems impossible at this point. So that's your answer?"

Max put a hand on her hip, "I-I think we should wait. There are other things going on that might help you."

"But not right now." She says coldly, "So I can walk down the halls with people calling me a viral slut. _Thanks_ , Max."

Those last two words pierced through Max like a dagger. They need more proof of what happened, otherwise their arguments wouldn't matter much. She understands that Kate wants an immediate solution, but why couldn't she see that she's only trying to help her?

"Call me if you need anything..." Max said quietly. She glanced back at her friend one last time, before exiting the room.

Coming back out to the cold air of the hall, Max sighed heavily from the weight that she felt got dropped on her shoulders. So much negativity this early in the morning...She had to take her mind off somehow.

Just as this thought finished, several pings emitted from her phone and so she scooped it out of her pocket, smiling at the screen.

 _ **Chloe :**_

 **- _max  
\- food  
\- two whales  
\- c u there_**

 _\- Don't hurt your fingers texting  
\- Yay breakfast! (^_^)_

 ** _\- NO EMOJI_**

Max laughed to herself and put away her phone. This whole thing with Kate really sucks, but as long as she helps her out, everything will work out okay. Heck, maybe this whole video thing will blow over by the end of the week and Kate can go back to normal. After hearing about her experience though...That might just be wishful thinking.

As Max walked towards the entrance of the dorm house, she began to wonder.

 _I've been texting Chloe all morning but I haven't heard anything from Ethan. And Kate said he wasn't replying to any of_ her _messages either...After that anonymous text_ _I_ _got, I hope he really_ is _just sleeping..._

* * *

 **~Ethan~**

"Ethan, wake up!" Nana yelled from the hall, forcing his baggy eyes to open. "I'm going to work, don't be late for school."

"Okay..." He cried out, though it came out more throaty than intended.

He cleared his throat to ensure that doesn't happen again and tossed the covers off of him. The new mattress Nana got him was undoubtedly the softest he's ever had, which isn't actually a good thing. He preferred something a bit more stiff, but he wasn't going to complain. After almost two days of no sleep, it got the job done just fine. Placing his feet down on the warm carpet floor, he stood up fully and spread his arms out, purring at the stretch of his muscles from the few hours of sleep he had gotten. Tonight he was going to sleep early. No question about it. His body hates him enough right now.

 _Actually, how much sleep_ did _I get? I went to bed at around four-thirty, and the time right now is..._

Ethan clicked the home button on his phone, but the screen remained black. A few more clicks made him come to an obvious conclusion.

 _Shit. I forgot to put my phone to charge when I got back last night. Dammit._

Scratching his head, he steps out into the hallway and gazes at the kitchen clock.

 **8:13am**

Ethan sighed tiredly. Max mentioned that their morning class was cancelled because their teacher was out sick, so he saw a choice laid out before him. Which one's more important: Breakfast with friends and hanging out? Or extra sleep? His head turned slowly back to his bed, then to the door, and back to the bed again. He smiles and steps towards the bed in his room, but then stops halfway. He _had_ given his word that he'd be there...

"*sigh* Goddammit." He groans, "Guess I'd better get ready..."

* * *

 **A/N : As a present for all of you who have been patient, next chapter comes out tomorrow! Updates after that, just might be weekly or twice a week depending on how much time I have :)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**


	15. Demonstrate For Me

Chapter 14: Demonstrate For Me

 **~Maxine~**

The sky was a mix of blue with a small tint of pink when Max had stepped off the school bus. After putting away her earphones, she was treated to the distant swaying waters on the beach across the street, as well as the mutterings of an old man talking about a lottery ticket near the bus stop. A cool breeze brushed through just as the bus managed to drive away, creating a mix of the exhaust gas and fresh air to collide past the eighteen year old time traveler. She cups her hand over her mouth and nose to avoid breathing it in, before gazing at the familiar sight in front of her.

The Two Whales Diner. Max was almost in awe of how much of it still looked the same since she left. Some of the paint on the post for the diner was chipping off, same as the big sign on top of the establishment itself. It was way dirtier too, it seemed, with brown residue trailing down along the words and white surface of the square. A blotch of blue paint in the corner of the tall post might also suggest that they tried repainting to a different color; but the way it was placed, Max wouldn't be surprised if it was just the result of some silly prank.

Max started walking towards the entrance, reaching into her bag for a photo of the Diner when she glanced at the parking lot. It was almost full, which actually isn't all that surprising. The Two Whales is one of the most popular places in town for food. Though, Max always found the lot to be kind of small and cramped. Especially with the dusty RV parked in the back corner, it practically takes up a good forty percent of the space! Come to think of it, it looked very much like the one she saw two days ago at Blackwell. To the side, there was a fisherman standing at a set up booth handing out pamphlet's, but she didn't see what it was about.

Aiming her camera at the sign, Max was thankful the lighting around was perfect at this moment, and took a shot of the iconic sign above the restaurant. The Polaroid spat out shortly after and she gave it a good shake before placing both items back into her bag. Afterward, Max ran up the small set of steps toward the door, almost unfazed by the multiple Rachel Amber posters plastered in multiple sections of the entrance. Chloe must have put up a thousand posters around Arcadia Bay by now, it sucks that she hasn't heard anything from her yet. Max pushed the thought aside for now and pushed the door in an almost giddily state.

She was greeted by a cacophony of noises when she entered. The clanging of the silverware, idle chatter of the customers, and even the weird music playing from the Jukebox in the back; it _filled_ her with nostalgia. Coupled with the hypnotizing smell of breakfast (good enough to make her mouth water), Max could do nothing to hide the big grin from forming cheek to cheek. It all made her feel thirteen again.

Much like the outside, the inside portion of the diner hadn't changed much either, safe for recent posters and such. The floor was tiled with white and black, with a few stains here and there that must have not come out over the years. The booths still had their shiny red coat, along with the thin layer of silver laying on top to give some diversity. On the western wall (the main entrance being on the south side) there hung an HD TV that was showing the channel seven news. It was going on about the bizarre weather from two days ago and how glamorous the moon looked last night. Max hadn't seen it herself, but even in the image it still looked fascinating. Below the TV was the gumball machine and news stand, though Max could swear the candy inside looked the same as it was when she left...Gross.

Walking adjacent to the wall, Max headed into the restroom. If she was going to eat, it's best she washed her hands first. Ignoring all of the crude graffiti, Max immediately began to sanitize, scrubbing at her hands with the hand soap before she looked up at the mirror. There were words written on the glass, which made Max raise an eyebrow before feeling the need to take a photo. Once the photo came out, she gave it a shake before putting them back in her bag and taking her exit.

Rounding the corner of the bar, Max spots a few empty booths in the back and walks toward them. She passes Justin and Trevor who were sitting at the one closest to the door and carefully evades the guy sitting on a stool at the end. He swore underneath his breath, but Max paid him no mind. She brushes her hand along the table she chose, and felt a drawing in the corner as she sat down. Before looking at it, however, Joyce grabs a fresh pot of coffee from the back and comes strolling over to her with a smile. She was wearing the Two Whales uniform, with a white apron wrapped around her waist that covered a black medium length skirt underneath. She also wore round golden earrings and had her hair tied up with a soft blue colored scrunchy.

"And there she is—a lovely young woman." Joyce greets her, "How are you doing, Max?"

Max beamed at the complement, "Hi Joyce, it's nice to see you again. You look the same."

She chuckled with closed lips, taking a step back as if she wants her to take a better look, "Like I'm still a waitress at Two Whales after all these years?"

"No, like you still look pretty." Max replied, sweetly.

Joyce smirked at that and gave her a quick pat on the shoulder, "Nice save, kid. You're still smart." She places the coffee pot down in front of Max and then stations her hands to her waist. The smirk is then replaced with a scowl and squinted eyes, "But not _that_ smart...Now _you_ get busted for smoking pot." Max's shoulders slumped under Joyce's disapproving stare. She hadn't considered how Joyce was gonna react about it. "I heard the whole sordid story from David. I'm sorry this was how you had to meet him. He's a good man...no matter what Chloe says."

Max had her doubts. After all, good men don't harass and spy on kids they're supposed to look out for. But Joyce knows way more about him than she does, and Max trusts Joyce, so that would have to be enough. Besides, she looks up to Joyce, and definitely wouldn't want to do anything to upset her. Her bad side is scary as hell.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I don't even smoke...like, _ever_. It was almost an accident. _Very_ stupid." Max said, "I-I'm sorry."

"It surprised me fierce." She admitted, "I was hoping you could be a _good_ influence in her life now..."

"I will be. Promise." Max told her, and meant it with all her heart. She wasn't going to abandon her again, "I know things were hard for you and Chloe. I feel bad I didn't call. Now _my_ folks are in Seattle and _I'm_ all alone at Blackwell. It's my karma."

Joyce shook her head, "You did the right thing. You moved forward with your life. _I_ did, after William passed on. Chloe...Chloe chose to stay angry..." She sighs, "Anyway, I hope we see more of you. Chloe needs an old friend again."

It just occurred to Max that she had never given her condolences about William to Joyce. She was so young when it happened, she wasn't sure how to talk to her after, and didn't exactly have much time to either...

"Joyce, I am _so_ sorry about William. I have great memories of him."

"I'm glad, Max." She says, "That was his gift to us...wonderful memories. Even if Chloe doesn't understand yet."

"Chloe understands. She just needs...time. I-I know that sucks for you..."

"Oh, she hit _all_ the phases..." Joyce laughs as she counts with her fingers, "Expulsion, running away, drugs, bad boys, tattoos, piercings, blue hair..." With one more chuckle, she finishes, "Now she's gotta rebel against her stepfather."

"I see why...I mean—" Max let the words slip out before she realized what she was saying.

"Do you?" Joyce asked somewhat defensively, "He's not as much of a hardass as you think. But you _did_ tell him you had a joint, right? You took that responsibility?"

Max wondered if she knows Ethan was there. She said she heard the whole story from David, and there's _no_ way he would exclude _his_ involvement during that time. But Ethan never admitted to having the pot, David just included him when he stepped out of hiding. Well, at least he wouldn't be in any immediate trouble like her. She could find some comfort in that. After all, it was _her_ decision to jump in and take the blame for it, not his.

"I did. And I _am_ sorry." Max apologized, "I don't want Chloe in any more trouble...or me."

Joyce raised an eyebrow, "Or Ethan Cole, right?" Max must have made a face at that second, because Joyce grinned teasingly, "That red hair is pretty hard to mistaken for someone else around here, even if he _is_ new in town. But don't worry, nobody's in trouble over a doobie, Max. And I _admire_ that you took the heat for Chloe...Like a great friend. But Chloe _does_ push David and it's not fair. He paid his dues in a war." Max was starting to notice what Chloe meant about Joyce defending David all the time, though it does seem rather justified.

She continued, "He _does_ care about her, along with _all_ of the students at Blackwell."

Max furrows her brow, "He cares about Kate Marsh?"

"David mentioned her, but I stay out of his business." She replied, " _I_ won't patrol Blackwell and _he_ won't cook at the diner, you know?"

Max leaned back slightly, "Ethan saw him arguing with Kate...I thought _you_ might know why..."

"Nice try, Nancy Drew. But next to you, there's only _one_ student I'm worried about. And she's not even in school anymore..." She sighs and shakes her head after that last comment, before putting on her smile again, "So, now let's get down to the nitty gritty. What do you want to eat?"

Max put on a childish grin, "I was _dreaming_ about your bacon omelette..."

Joyce chuckled at that, "I'll get it going for you. Now finish your coffee."

With that, Max was left alone at her table, taking a sip of her black coffee that Joyce had just poured for her. It was nice to see she hadn't changed much. So far she still seems to be the awesome woman Max remembered from five years ago. She just wished things were better with Chloe. So many things had gone wrong for her over the years, it just seems so unfair that she had to go through all of that. But that's okay, because Max could make up for the time they lost now. Whatever it took, however long it took, she was going to make things right. No— _better_ than right! And she's got all the time in the world to make it happen.

Max could hear Joyce call out the order for her bacon omelette to the chefs in the back, which made her all the more giddy. She _loved_ the delish anticipation of breakfast. The others should be here pretty soon too. Max could foresee Chloe being late, but she was hoping Ethan wouldn't have the same deplorable habit, even if she _herself_ is guilty of it sometimes. Max felt the marking in the corner of the table once again, though this time she actually had the chance to read what it was. Nerd graffiti—some kind of complicated math equation or something. Warren _must_ have been here...

Outside the window and off in the distance, Max could see the lighthouse standing over on the edge of the cliff. It looked so mysterious from here, it fascinated her. It was moments like this that she wishes she could stay in forever. Well, technically now she could, but then it wouldn't really be a moment, would it? Taking another sip of her black coffee, Max couldn't help but feel she was experiencing some kind of fourth-dimensional deja-vu, like she was continuously going back in time here at the Two Whales. Whether it was with Chloe or her parents, Max spent so much time here as a kid. Being here almost made it feel like she never even left...

"I can hear your stomach rumbling from here, Max." Joyce says with a plate of food in hand, snapping the brunette of a trance, "Here. You'll love this."

She places the plate down in front of Max, who rubs her hands together in anticipation, "I'm drooling like a baby."

Joyce laughed, "I still can't believe you're a _woman_. When I look at pictures of Chloe—" She stops mid-sentence, unable to find the right words. Funnily enough, just as she does, the front door swings open and Max's blue haired best friend walks in. "Speak of the devil..."

Chloe came in as if she owned the place, wearing a pair of ripped jeans, combat boots, suspenders straps (hung loosely to her hips), and a white shirt with an interesting artwork of a bull's head on it. Over that was a dark red jacket with sleeves rolled up to the middle of her forearm, and a navy blue beanie to cover up her aqua blue hair. Everyone glanced at her for at least a brief second before returning to their delicious meals. She and Trevor exchange fist bumps on her way over, making Max wonder just how they knew each other. It was drugs more than likely, but Chloe also went to Blackwell a while back too, so maybe they knew each other that way...

As she approached, Chloe greeted them, "Mom and Max, together again!"

Joyce replied, "And Chloe, looking for a free meal." Max smiled and took a forkful of food into her mouth, relishing the taste as Joyce continued, "You've put your whole damn college fund on your tab."

Max finished chewing and swallowed, "I'm treating Chloe for breakfast."

Joyce gave her a stern look, "Are you atoning for Monday?"

Chloe rolls her eyes and groans, Oh god Mom, _please_ do not give Max any shit for that. She apologized." Chloe shrugs, shifting her shoulders, "Besides, there was a third person around too, and _he_ did most of it..."

"Chloe!" Max hissed under her breath worriedly. Did she really just put the blame on Ethan?

Joyce leaned back on one foot and crossed her arms, glancing at Max with a raised eyebrow, "That's not what Miss Caulfield told me..." Max wasn't sure how to respond to that, so she just avoided eye contact, which she's pretty sure only made her look more guilty. "But you're right, she _did_ apologize. Max is a good girl—woman." She corrects herself, "She's eighteen now."

Chloe scowls and rests her hands on the back of her head, "Too old to get lectures from you or Sgt. Pepper..."

"Call him David if you don't want to be lectured." Joyce said before turning on her heel, "You only get one damn slice of bacon today."

Her friend's eyes never left the back of her mother's head before Max chuckled, "You guys are still the same..."

"Another reason to blow this town." Chloe states.

"By the way, did you really just try to pin the blame on Ethan?"

"No, not technically..." She says, "You're both still holding the bag, he was just caught holding it with two hands, and you with one. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that he didn't want to be a part of it in the first place." Max tells her, "It'd be wrong to make him take all of the blame for it."

Chloe rolls her eyes, "Better him than you."

Max smiles and shakes her head, "That's not exactly the best mindset for making new friends."

Chloe smiled back at her, "Who needs _new_ friends? I have my best friend back!" She lightly fist bumps Max on her shoulder before scowling at the corner, "What is this shit on the jukebox?" After she walks over to it, a few seconds go by until the choice of music changes. Max takes another bite of her food before Chloe jumps onto the other side of the table and leans froward, "Now that that's out of the way...Let's talk about your superpower...Demonstrate it for me!"

Max could see the excitement in her eyes, "Don't you want to wait for Ethan?"

"Eh, he'll join us eventually." She says with a wave of her hand, "Besides, _you're_ the one with the actual powers. According to you guys, he's just not affected by it, right?"

Max thinks back to the moment at Chloe's, when Ethan had made a copy of David's tools in the garage. That was something she couldn't do, as far as she knew anyway. But that would mean he still needed _her_ to use his own powers.

"No, he's affected sort of, but...I guess..." Max sighs, "I don't really have any explanation for it...And I can't explain why I saw that crazy fucking tornado..."

" _Come on_ , that's just a daydream." She says, impatiently, "I want _proof_ you can rewind time."

Max was starting to feel nervous all of a sudden. "This is all happening so fast..."

"We'll start slow. Right here. Now."

Max grinned. How could she prove that she can rewind time? "Mhhh...Okay. I can tell you _every_ single thing you have in your pockets."

"You have x-ray vision, dude?" Chloe jokes, " _I_ don't even know what's in my pockets! Let me see..." She subtly pulls the stuff out underneath the table, just out of Max's eyesight. Once she was done, she looked back up at Max, "Okay Max, impress me!"

She only had to guess once now for Chloe to show her what's really in her pockets, "Some old chewing gum?"

"Nada..." She deadpans, "Not. Impressed. Okay, psychic girl, let me show you what's _actually_ in my pockets." She pulls everything out and lays them on the table, "That was _beyond_ epic fail. You even made me _want_ to believe you..."

Max frowned and stared at the items before her. Now that her pride was on the line, Max tried extra hard to memorize them, even the smallest details about each item. How many cigarettes were in the pack, how much money she had, even the date and time listed on her parking ticket. Everything mattered if she was going to convince Chloe. Half a minute goes by with her studying before she's confident in her memory. She's about to dazzle her _good_!

With a grin, Max raised up her right hand and rewinded.

* * *

 **~Ethan~**

Ethan was a block away from the Two Whales when the world around him moved back forty-five seconds. It was amusing to see the rewind in action, but also a little unsettling. By all rights, it should not be okay to see cars driving in reverse on a busy street, or a man to seemingly upchuck a mouth full of soda pop back into its can like it's a regular thing. That last one in particular was especially gross, but Ethan isn't the squeamish type.

As time began to move normally, Ethan felt the cool breeze return. He zipped up his black combat jacket and dug his hands into his pockets while he continued on the path, the Two Whales sign already within eyesight. He got a few stares from people on the way over, but that was natural for him. Ethan's gotten used to the off hand glances people gave him. The funny ones are when they do a double take at the red hair, and then the question that comes after it. 'Is that your real hair, or is it dyed?'

He laughs to himself before time rewinded once more, but this time it was only for five seconds. A woman at the bus stop opened her eyes widely at him, staring with utter shock when time stopped reversing.

Ethan swore under his breath. She must have been looking at him just before the moment Max stopped her rewind. What does it look like to people on the outside? Does he just suddenly appear out of thin air? Either way, he should probably get off the street soon. He ignores the woman as best he can when he passes her, but he doesn't miss the flabbergasted expression still left on her face.

Going up the steps to the door, he pulls it open and steps inside, just before Max rewinds yet again. In quick motion, Ethan could see all sorts of things going on at once, with Joyce 'moon-walking' back to the jukebox side of the diner, some kind of argument between the two guys in the booth next to him, and someone spilling their coffee mug on the floor. How many times has Max used her rewind today? It seems like she's getting better and better at it each time she uses it.

Feeling the time shift back to regular, Ethan turned the corner of the transparent wall placed at the entrance and sees Max sitting at the far end booth. Doesn't look like she's noticed him yet, too busy talking to Chloe about something. She held up four fingers with her hand, but that wasn't enough for Ethan to tell what was going on. He shrugs and walks over to them, with Max catching his eyes just as he made it to the booth before their's.

Ethan greeted first, "Hello ladies. Sorry I'm late, the traffic between my bed and the door was disgusting."

Max chuckles, "A reasonable excuse."

Chloe spoke with a motor mouth, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, hey snowflake. Now sit down!" She commanded, after Ethan cringed at the nickname she gave him last night, "Max was about to predict the next thirty seconds of the future!"

 _Well she's_ clearly _excited._

Max cuts in, "Whoa, hold on...Snowflake?"

Ethan sighed visibly and pinched his nose. With a wave of his hand he replied, "Trust me, don't worry about it."

"Nooooope. Come on, I wanna be in the loop." Max grinned, mischievously.

Ethan smirked, "Relax, Maxine, it's not that big a deal."

She glares at him and lightly punches him in the arm, which he then rubs playfully with a snicker.

Chloe rolls her eyes, obviously getting irritated, "I'll explain it to you later, but first you gotta convince me that your psychic Max."

Ethan laughed, crossing his arms against his chest, "Yes, do tell, Madame Caulfield. What _does_ happen in the next thirty seconds?"

Max looked at them both before pressing her lips together into a firm line, "The trucker in black drops his mug and Joyce rips him a new one."

He glances to where the trucker was sitting, marking it in his head to pay attention to him when the time comes.

"So what comes next?" Chloe asks.

"The cop gets an emergency alert on his radio and his partner in the car leaves without him." Max doesn't hesitate to continue, "Then Justin and Trevor get into a fight and Joyce breaks it up. Afterwords, the jukebox goes crazy as a...cockroach crawls on it."

Max already proved how perceptive she could be, but even so, Ethan was impressed.

"Pretty bizarro, Max." Chloe states, "But let's see if everything happens like you said..."

Right on cue, Joyce grabs the pot of coffee from behind the counter and exits through the squeaky flip up door that separates the customers from the employees. She rounds the corner, making her way towards the table in the back when the trucker 'accidentally' drops his cup on the floor. She scolds him for breaking yet another cup and declares that he gets no more refills. Chloe seemed gleefully happy about that part, even cheering her mother on. Now the cop was getting a call on his radio, and after complaining about leaving his breakfast for a few seconds, he glances around for his partner. Only, said partner was already in the police cruiser across the street and leaves him here at the diner.

So far everything seemed to be checking out. Next was the boys by the entrance, Justin and Trevor is what Max called them. Ethan couldn't see from his angle, but one suddenly throws a punch while the other yells back in frustration. Luckily, Joyce was there to step in. Both blamed each other for starting it, but Joyce only cared about putting an _end_ to it.

"Trevor and Justin must be in love." Chloe joked, prompting a small chuckle from both Ethan and Max.

All three of them set their eyes on the jukebox now, the anticipated cockroach crawling on the glass as the old machine began to sputter out of control.

"You actually predicted a cockroach on the jukebox?" Chloe said aloud before bowing her head on the table, "I pledge allegiance to Max and the power for which she stands..."

"This isn't a toy, Chloe." Max said, responsibly.

"She's right." Ethan agreed, leaning his back on the booth, "We don't know exactly how these powers work yet. We need to be careful with how we use it."

Chloe planted her hands on the table with a big grin, "Screw that! It's time travel. Of course it's a toy! The best toy _ever_! You can _bang_ anyone you want with no strings attached, rewind time and _boom_ , it's like it never happened!"

...

... _Hmm._

"That's actually a pretty good point." Ethan admitted, only half-joking.

"Grow up." Max deadpanned to both of them.

Chloe leans close and whispers, "Maybe you a made a move on me and I would never know!"

"Yes, _that's_ what I did." Max leaned in, replying sarcastically. At least, it sounded sarcastic... "And Ethan is here as my witness."

He played along, "That I am. It was _highly_ unprofessional...and very hot."

Max scoffs at this and Chloe titters before shaking her head, "You guys can rewind time. That's _fucking_ insane. We _have_ to play!"

With a sigh, Max leans back into her seat, "I don't have time."

Chloe chuckled in between words, "You did _not_ just say that." Suddenly, her eye brow curls up and Ethan felt some anxiety build up in the pit of his stomach, which is weird because he almost never gets anxiety. Chloe spoke with care, "Uh...check out your nose. Is that what happens if you use it too much?"

Ethan notices the blood running from her nostril, "Max, are you okay?"

She looked puzzled herself, wiping the blood off with a napkin, "I'm fine. Too much excitement. This is what happens when you hang out with Chloe." She said, jokingly. Even so, Ethan couldn't help but worry for some reason. He should have expected there to be fallout from such an awesome power like this.

Chloe puts on her thinking face, "Then...how about we go to one of my secret lairs and fully test your power." She gestured to Ethan with a nod, "You can show off your power then too."

Ethan eyed Max, still thinking about the nosebleed, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Trust me," the bluentte says, shaking Max's arm, "Y'all need a sidekick to guide you."

Max smiles and pushes Ethan's arm for him to move out of the booth, "Okay, Girl Wonder...Show us the way to Chloe's Cave."

"Leaving so soon?" Joyce approaches them as they all stood up, "Ethan, I didn't even see you walk in."

"Might be because you were dealing with the two hooligans back there." He suggests, pointing to Justin and Trevor. "We're they arguing about which of your delicious food they should eat? My grandmother tells me it happens quite often." He finishes with a playful smile.

Joyce laughs with a shake of her head, "You are quite the charmer, Ethan. But don't think that's gonna get you out of trouble from me."

"Trouble?" He tilts his head at her, "For what?"

"You know what you did." She scolds him, though he's still not sure why, "You're lucky I haven't told Joann yet. 'Cause I'm sure even your grandmother doesn't like it when people bring drugs in the house."

The metaphorical plug clicked in its socket in Ethan's mind, it was about what happened on Monday. His eyes shift to Chloe who was tapping her foot with her arms crossed, refusing to make eye contact. Then to Max, who found staring at the floor more interesting as she held one arm in a tight grip. Ethan could tell what happened now: he was being blamed for the whole weed thing at Chloe's, and Max was feeling guilty about it. This whole situation has become a total drag...

Ethan sighed, "You're absolutely right, mam. It was very wrong for me to bring such a thing into your home." Chloe lifts up her head and stares at him with some fascination. He could also feel another pair of eyes on him to his left before he continued, "Honestly, I'm not sure why I did it to be begin with. I don't even do drugs, not anymore. But it was my first day here, and I guess I just wanted to make some friends...Clearly it was the wrong way to do that. I'm sorry." He bows his head slightly at the last two words.

Joyce stood there, analyzing him with her eyes, "Well...There are other ways to make friends." She says, "But I appreciate your honesty. Just don't let it happen again."

"Never. I promise."

She walks past them and towards the counter, "Alright, well you kids be safe. I'll see you later." She beamed at them.

Max followed her to the register, "Oh, Joyce I still have to pay for the food."

"Come on then, sweetie." She beckons with her hand, "I'll take care of you here."

With Max moving over to Joyce, Chloe started for the door just before Ethan went next to her, "So was it you?"

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that." She says.

Ethan chuckled at her attempt to hide it. "It was you who pinned the blame on me, wasn't it?"

They stop at the door and Chloe turns to him with a shrug, "Guilty as charged. But how did you figure that out? Did you pull the truth out of me and then have Max rewind so you could look like a perceptive geek?"

He crosses his arms, "No, I already _am_ a perceptive geek. Your body languages were enough to give yourselves away. Or at the very least, give me an idea." He finishes with smirk.

Chloe squinted her eyes at him, "And you're not mad?"

"Why would I be?" He asked with a wave of his hand, "I mean a little heads up would have been nice, but I can understand why you did it. You barely know me, and Max is your best friend. You want to protect _her_ just as much as _she_ wants to protect you." He laughs to himself, "Hell, if I were in your shoes, I'd have done the same damn thing."

The blue haired girl shakes her head, "If you knew I threw you under the bus, why did you go along with it? Why didn't you say I made the whole thing up?"

Ethan bowed his head before looking at Max, and Chloe did the same. She was chortling at something Joyce said, grinning widely as the light from outside emblazoned her body with a beautiful glow.

He sighs, unsure of what to say, "I don't know. Perhaps I just like living on the edge."

"Good to know, snowflake." Chloe mentions as Max makes her way over to them, "Okay Supergirl, now that you're done, let's go to my secret place!"

"You make it sound so dirty." Ethan comments.

"So what if it is?" She replies with a seductive tone, to which they each laugh before Max pulls out her phone. She was getting a call, "Don't answer that. We have places to go _and people to do_..." She finishes those last words under her breath. "Come _on_ , before Mom starts some more shit. Let's bail!"

"It's Kate Marsh, from Blackwell..."

This got Ethan's attention, but Chloe spoke, "Big whoop. You don't call me once in five years and now you're all over some beeatch you see every day at school?" The acidity in her voice just now annoyed Ethan as he glared at her, "I see how you roll. So go ahead, chat up Kate Marsh from Blackwell. We'll be just fine on our own."

Ethan rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Answer the phone, Max. We're not going anywhere." He could see Chloe giving him the stink eye from the corner of his sight, but he didn't care.

Max bounced her gaze back in forth between him and Chloe, chewing on her bottom lip before making a decision.

"Hey Kate, what's up?" She asks, bringing the phone up to her ear.

Chloe grimaces, "Please, don't let your _best friend_ get in the way."

Max walks away, focusing on the phone call and Ethan turns to Chloe, "Don't be such a drama queen. She's going through a rough time."

"Who gives a shit? Everyone goes through a rough time."

"Maybe. And how did it feel for you, not having anyone to talk to after Max left?" He made sure not to bring up her Father, but still tried to get the point across.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it did, "Whatever. I'll be in the car." Chloe clicks her tongue before leaving the building. At least she still wants to hang with them. She needs to get her little mood swings in check, because as far as Ethan's concerned, that is her one and only down fall.

Max hangs up the phone and approaches him, "How pissed is she?" She asks worriedly.

"Eh, she just needs to cool off. She's waiting for us in her truck, I think."

"She's being ridiculous, of course I'm chillin' with you guys." She says smiling, to which Ethan nods his head.

He leans back on one foot, "How's Kate?"

"Oh, it's nothing. She's just...having a bad morning." Max told him. She walks past him and opens the door. "Come on, let's show Chloe some of _your_ powers."

Ethan smirks at her and the two of them walk out together to regroup with Chloe.

* * *

 **A/** **N** **:** **That last line that Max says is sort of a hint that pertains to what the next chapter is going to be about. Sort of...It's most likely going to be the longest chapter yet, _that_ I know for sure. Partly because I had to cut out a segment I had planned for this chapter, but couldn't get it written in time. So instead, you'll get it in the next one.**

 **Also, thank you mah dude, whoever you are that made it known to me I was switching tenses in the wrong context. I only realized it after you said it and I was like: 'oh shit...' lol In any event, it helped me write this chapter a bit more proper and I thank you for that :)**

 **Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!**


	16. Chloe's Lair

Chapter 15: Chloe's Lair

 **~Ethan~**

Ethan's eyes fluttered open after Chloe's truck came to a stop, jerking slightly as it got shifted on to 'park'. He didn't even realize he fell asleep. After the blue-haired diva mentioned there wasn't enough room in the front, he was more than happy to sit in the back with all of the free room. The cool breeze that grazed his cheeks during the drive over practically coerced him to take the nap he so desperately desired. The sight he's just waking up to could have been better, but the nature surrounding it does give this junkyard a sense of seclusion that makes for a good hang out spot. It must have been the same one Chloe mentioned last night.

The driver door slammed shut and Ethan peeked over his shoulder to see Chloe speed walking further in. The passenger door closed now with noticeably less force, Max giving him a puppy dog face as she chased after her best friend.

"Is this a race?" She asked catching up to her.

"Keep up." Chloe answered, tersely.

That was all Ethan heard before he jumped out the trunk. He donned his backpack once he hit the floor, fitting each strap over a shoulder and tightening them so it stayed snug. The two girls were arguing for a short time and Ethan thought it best to just let them hash it out themselves, it was really only Chloe being petty from the sound of it. Ethan hid his hands in his pocket when a breeze flowed through, brushing his hair gently with the current as it did with the trees surrounding him.

Arcadia Bay seemed to be chock full of moments like these. There were bits of nature in every place Ethan had been in so far, almost as if the environment is just as much Arcadia as the town itself. These were lands for Native tribes long ago, or so Nana told him, which certainly makes sense with all of the trees around.

Ethan traced the treeline with his eyes, examining the patterns of green, yellow, and orange as it circled around the junkyard, before it gaps over the train tracks at the end. It was rather fascinating the way the area was structured, as if the flora was a barrier to cover up a pile of trash. The smell was something to get used to, reeking of rust and burnt tires and old beer; it made his nostrils flare up.

The sound of Max's camera sparked off, grabbing his attention almost instantly as she shook the new photo in front of him. The two girls had been staring at him just now, though for how long he wasn't sure. They must have stopped arguing a short while ago.

"What did I say about taking photos of me when I'm not looking?" He asked, slightly peeved before closing the distance between him and them.

"Sorry, couldn't resist." She grinned, "I'm a photography student, it's what I do."

"Be mad if you want, but there's no stopping her." Chloe said, making a very good point, "Now quit whining and join the fun!" She beckoned him with one hand before taking a sip of her beer.

The three of them walked further into the yard until Chloe halted, twisting the dirt with her boot heel as she turned to them. Ethan watched her grab at the back of her waist and cringed when she revealed the gun she showed them on Monday.

Max made her opinion of it known immediately, "Are you kidding? After the whole thing with Nathan on Monday, I'm kinda over guns, Chloe."

"I'm not really big on them, either." Ethan agreed.

"It freaks me out that you have one."

Chloe sighed childishly, like the kind one makes when they're told to go to bed early, "Don't you trust me?" She asked while aiming it at some random junk.

"No." Ethan answered flatly, but still keeping a lighthearted tone. This made Max swivel her head at him.

Chloe's eyes locked with his, "I know _you_ wouldn't, snowflake."

"Of course I trust you," Max firmly stated, "But not that gun."

"You have more power than an army." The bluenette clarified before holstering the gun, "Don't be scared of my little toy. Besides, we need it for the test..." She swung her beer bottle carefully to her other hand and took a swig before wiping her lips and holding it out to them, "Drink?"

"Yuck." Max scrunched her nose, making Ethan smile and Chloe to laugh.

"You are so cute―you haven't changed a bit." She moved her arm to Ethan, "How 'bout you, Red?"

Ethan put his hand up, "No thanks. I only drink beer when games are involved."

She pulled the bottle back with a sneaky smile, "Ooh, good to know. I'm holding you to that." That's all she said before turning her eyes to a set of stacked cars, each one rusting and already stripped for parts. She exhaled through pursed lips, trying to envision something when she spoke again, "Okay, let's do this. Can you two find five bottles while I prep the shooting range?"

 _Shooting range? I may not be okay with guns yet, but this might actually be fun._

"Beer and guns," Max pointed out, "Nice combo."

 _Right. Don't know why that slipped my mind..._

"There's two of you, I'm sure you can handle it." Chloe gripped the bottle tightly with both hands, "Now go find us five bottles. Pretty please?"

Ethan and Max glanced at each other and reluctantly agreed. To broaden their search, they both split up to take a different section of the yard, with Max taking the left side, and Ethan, the right.

Finding bottles around here may not be the easiest of tasks, especially with all of the junk around. Most of the bottles in question were already broken, which quickly became an annoyance. How some of the debris around here is positioned, Ethan wondered if it was just Chloe who hung out here.

 _A location in the middle of the woods, no city nonsense or people to disturb you, it'd be an ideal site for a party._

Or a horror movie. Either one would be entertaining.

After snagging one bottle that was placed high up on a spool, Ethan began zig-zaging back in forth between other piles of waste. He found a broken cell-phone, dirty needles, dispensed shotgun cartridges, and even used condoms; but no more bottles. His search eventually lead him up a small dirt hill that, if it weren't for the shipwrecked boat in front of it, overlooks the entire site. Damp boxes sat in the corner next to a broken tree, with spray paint cans just lying loosely on the floor. There was a hose that trailed down the hill he just came from, but it doesn't look like it connects to anywhere. Must have been used for sewage pipes or something, though he isn't too familiar with the equipment to know for sure. Strangely enough, the broken tree gave Ethan the chills. It wasn't cut down, it was more like snapped in half, and the odd sight made him grimace.

Ethan stood on the makeshift platform at the edge of the hill, judging the distance between it and the boat. There was a bottle on top of the boat and he was _certainly_ going to get it. The gap wasn't too bad to jump over, but the boat is in bad condition as it is, so a leap of faith would be too risky. And at that height, he wasn't sure he'd have the guts to do it either. Ethan shuffled to his right, alarming him once it made contact with a bulky wooden board laying slanted from the platform and a ruined car. He examined the length of the board with his eyes, then glanced back at the gap before achieving a knowing smile.

 _I could use this to get myself across. Looks kinda heavy though, I should be careful picking it up._

Bending his knees, he gripped the board with two hands and pulled on it. He moved lower and lower down the board as it rose in height, holding it like Joel would in the The Last of Us. _He_ made it look way easier though, as Ethan buckled slightly when the wind breezed through. Luckily he maintained his balance and lowered it over the gap. The length was perfect for him to walk across and he soon found himself standing atop the ship, taking the bottle off of the table with a sense of accomplishment.

With two bottles now in his possession, Ethan decided to take a little break and sat on the yellow chair left on the deck by the table. From there it felt like Ethan could see and hear everything. The Oregon Rails train running behind him and the gust of wind that came passing by with it, making bits of dandelions float around like a dance; each just added to the atmosphere of it all. Ethan could see the appeal of hanging out here, why Chloe considers this one of her spots. Well, not exactly why, but it was relaxing all the same. This whole space just felt so alive, despite the intent of it being where objects come to die and be forgotten.

Forgotten...

...

Could that be why Chloe enjoys this place? Is that how she feels?

His eyes locked on to her, watching her organizing a few cinder-blocks as pegs to keep the wooden board steady and aligned for the shooting range. Her blue hair glowed like candy in the light now and she had her tongue cutely sticking out as she focused on keeping it all balanced. She was always wearing that scowl and putting on that tough act exterior; it's a shame she doesn't smile like that more often. She's pretty when she does.

Ethan turned his head to the other side of the junkyard, searching for his bottle locating companion. He shook his head, smiling when he did. Max was sitting on the ground with her back against a broken tree stump. The look on her face was one of pure fascination as the trees rustled around her, and the wind brushing her short brown hair to the side. She pulled out a photo and glanced at a spot in the treeline before returning to the photograph. After a few more seconds of what Ethan assumed to be puzzlement, she puts it away. Her eyes went back up, however, strafing over the stripped bus in the center before locking with his own eyes. Max startled for a moment before she broke out into a smile, her tiny freckles curving with her cheeks. It made Ethan's face go warm before he smiled back. She stood up soon after that, brushing the dirt off with her hands and walking to another pile of junk.

Ethan took this as his cue to do the same.

He speed walked his way back down the hill, curving to the right so he would move past the boat he was just on top of. Through this path he found a beautiful red car, stripped of its wheels and a shoddy chipped paint job―too broken to even determine what it was. It nearly broke his heart looking at it. To see something as gorgeous as this cut down in her prime. Such a pitiful sight... He pried his eyes away and found a small square building in the back, looking like it stopped being worked on in the middle of construction. The sides were tagged with a slew of profanity and gibberish that was barely even legible, with ladders and some equipment being pinned on the wall or locked up.

Ethan stepped through the open doorway and took a peek inside. There was a small change in the air when he was fully in, though he couldn't describe how realistically. Like walking into somebody's room without permission, or just plain trespassing on private property. The room was immaculate compared to the rest of the site, even if there was still litter around the floor, it seemed like somebody claimed this space, even going so far as to decorating it.

What first grabbed his eyes was the orange tarp that hung from a metal bar on the top, with an elephant surrounded in palm trees artistically drawn onto the sheet and small patterns running along the edges. Underneath the tarp was what Ethan would call junk sitting on top of a board held up by cinder-blocks. In front of that was a low sitting round table with an assortment of stuff, ranging from medicinal alcohol, a makeup case, and a familiar looking ashtray. Three empty pizza boxes in total strewn about in that particular area as well, along with a worn out American flag laying on a few boxes on the side.

On the wall adjacent to the tarp was a collection of posters plastered in select spots, along with random drawings of bony dead fish swimming back and forth. There was a well drawn Illuminati symbol in the upper right corner too. On a poster of LA hung up at the top, there was a modification of the word "LA" that turned into "Hella" which gave Ethan a pretty good idea of who this little home away from home belonged to. Chloe's name written underneath the dart board by the door only confirmed it. Rachel's name was written there too.

 _So the junkyard is public space for anyone wanting to have a good time, but this little space was their own personal hang out spot._

His head snapped up at the door when he saw Max.

"Hey." She greeted, running her hand on the unfinished doorway, "Are you hiding in here?"

Ethan snapped his fingers, "Damn, ya got me. _Knew_ I should've hid in the boat."

Max chuckled, "That would have made a much better hiding spot. Though, I still would've found you."

"Oh, I don't think so," Ethan challenged, "It's a lot higher than it looks, trust me."

She tucked her hands across her chest, underneath her arms, "So? I'm not afraid of heights."

"Lucky you." Ethan leaned back on one heel, "I'm terrified of them. Get anxiety whenever I'm in a lofty area."

"Then what were you doing up there before?" She pointed to the boat over her shoulder.

"There was a bottle sitting on the table." He answered, "There are, surprisingly, not enough intact bottles in this dump, so I had to go for it, you know? If you had a keen eye like mine, than maybe _you_ could've went and grabbed it, and saved me the trouble of having to face my fears." He told her, teasingly.

"Facing your fears is a good thing." She said, "I'm glad you didn't land on a pile of dirty needles, or anything else that's sharp or rusting around here. But having a keener eye than me? Doubtful."

"Why's that?"

She walked past him and grabbed a beer bottle he hadn't noticed was there, "Because you've been in here much longer than I have and you failed to notice this." She waved the glass bottle tauntingly.

All Ethan could do was smile and rub his head in embarrassment. He was too busy examining the other side of the room, it didn't even register there was a bottle on top of the small bookcase in the corner.

Max turned back to the bookcase, searching it with her eyes before picking up a crumpled note that was stuffed in one of the shelves. _She's just as nosy as I am,_ Ethan thought. After straightening the small paper, Max read it out loud with a perturbed look on her face.

"'I want to die.' Jeez. Who wrote this?" She asked, though not in a way that was expecting an answer. Ethan stepped to the side quietly, letting her see the names written on the wall herself. A few seconds passed and the brunette frowned, "Oh..." She lowered her head and put the note back where she found it.

"Has she always been like this?" Ethan wondered.

"Kind of...not really...Her personality is still pretty much the same, she's just much angrier now." Max sighed, folding her arms over her stomach. "I used to think the five years I spent in Seattle went by so quick. The schools were relatively nice, I made some decent friends, and there are so many spots in the city to take awesome pictures. I had so much fun, it felt like that time just flashed in front of me." She pried her eyes off the ground and gazed at the wall, "Then I think about how Chloe was here, suffering through that whole time, while I was having _fun_..."

"Not the whole time," Ethan consoled, nonchalantly, "She had Rachel for a good long while."

"Yeah. And now she's gone too..." She replied morbidly before shaking her head, "I should have been here for her when she needed me, but you're right. She did have Rachel during that time, I guess." Her mouth twisted in thought, "Chloe cares about her so much. Honestly, I'm a little jealous of her...Does that make me a bad person?" She asked.

Ethan inhaled deeply before he sighed, "Of course it does. An eighteen year old girl having feelings? That's heinous!"

It took a second before she laughed, "I thought you were being serious, you dick."

"Max I only met you two days ago, so whatever I say probably won't carry much weight with it. Sorry." He answered more honestly, "But from what I've seen and learned of you so far? You are the last person I'd label as breaking bad." Ethan reconsidered this, "No, sorry, I lied. You're _second_ to last, Warren's got you beat. Kid's just too nice."

Max laughed and nodded her approvingly.

"Unfortunately, I can't speak for Chloe either." Ethan admitted, "But I've seen how close you two are. Now that you're back and hanging out together again, I'm sure she'll let it go in no time."

She scoffed, "Thanks. But you don't know Chloe like I do. Believe me she won't."

Ethan knew that of course, from the talk he had with her last night, but he wanted to reassure her somehow. That clearly didn't work, so he'd have to try a different tactic...

"Do you want me to hold your hand?"

She gave him an incredulous look, "What? Why? Who asks that so out of the blue?"

Ethan snickered, "My sister. Whenever I was ever feeling angry, or sad, or pathetic..."

"Gee, thanks." Max deadpanned.

"...She would hold my hand." He continued, "To show me that no matter what terrible situation I'm in or how bad I'm feeling, I was never alone."

"I'm fine now, you weirdo." She giggled.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Don't insult me! It usually makes _me_ feel better."

Max laughed even harder, "Come on, let's go back to Chloe."

"Wait, how many bottles do you have?"

"Two." She answered.

"Same. I only have two." He told her.

"That's alright," She said, "We'll just make a copy for the fifth one, that way we show off some of your powers too."

"After your nose started leaking at the diner, are you sure you wanna keep pushing yourself today?" The memory was still very fresh in his mind, "We still don't know how these powers work yet, or how dangerous they are to the person using them."

"It's not a big deal," She shrugged, "Chloe was going to have me use it anyway, and nosebleed is nothing. Forrealzies, I'm fine."

Ethan inhaled through his nostrils before he replied, "Alright, lead the way, Chrononaut."

The walk back only took seconds as the pair handed over their bottles. Chloe placed her beer down before grabbing three of the bottles presented to her and setting them up on the same board Ethan saw her tinkering with earlier.

"Thanks guys, but I guess the math program at Blackwell ain't what it used to be, huh?" She commented sarcastically, "You were supposed to find five."

"It's harder than you think," Ethan defended, "Unless you have a suitcase _here_ full of them?"

She glowered at him and Ethan just smiled before Max jumped in, "We're going to make a copy of this bottle to show you Ethan's powers." She said, waving the fourth beer bottle.

Chloe crossed her arms, "Fine. Let's see it, snowflake."

Ethan stretched as if preparing for a run, feeling the muscles loosen as he limbered up, "Okay, as you can see, I've got no bottles on me. Not in my sleeves, not in my jacket, pockets―nothing." He lifted his right arm toward Max with his hand open, "Now pay attention to my hand, okay? 'Cause if this works, it should be there in about three seconds." Chloe watched, seemingly impatient, but also intrigued. When it didn't appear in his hand, however, it quickly turned into annoyance. "Max, give me the bottle." She handed it to him and he gripped it with his outstretched hand, "Now rewind back fifteen seconds, please."

Max nodded and proceeded to do so, bending the fabric of time and space as Ethan could see the original bottle being returned back to the brunette. He could, however, still feel the one in his hand. When time went back to normal, Chloe's eyes became saucers and she made her surprise vocal.

"Woooahoho, dude!" She exclaimed before grabbing each bottle from the both of them. She examined each one closely with her eyes, twisting them with her hands to compare, "This is fucking insane. It's an exact copy of the bottle―even the scuffing is right!" She turned her head to him, "Does this work with everything?"

Ethan shrugged, "I guess it might. It's seemed to work on everything we've tried so far..."

Her lips curled into a devious smirk, "So you can make copies of money then?"

She was right, they probably _could_ make copies of money. Why hadn't he thought of that before? Think how rich they could be, making copious amounts of one hundred dollar bills! A genius plan, albeit a little greedy, but still genius nonetheless. The only issue would be coming up with an excuse for Nana...That and they still weren't entirely aware of the consequences to these powers yet.

"A scheme for a different day." He told her with a devious smile of his own. Max rolled her eyes and scoffed.

Chloe pivoted on her heel and placed the last two bottles down, "Wait―one more for the road." She announced, just before downing the rest of her drink. When she finished, she placed it aside with the others and walked back ten feet.

"You're serious about this..." Max mumbled.

"We're going to shoot all these bottles without wasting a single bullet!" The bluenette declared, "Max, you have to help us aim."

Ethan chuckled, "What you can't look down the sights?"

"Shut your mouth." She hissed, aiming the revolver at the bottles. "Show me the way, Max."

"I need to see you shoot first." Max told her. A few seconds later, a bullet left the gun's chamber, hitting the board behind it a mere two inches away from the bottle. Chloe frowned at her work, before time rewinded. Ethan wasn't sure how far back they went, but he trusted that Max knew.

When things went back to normal, Chloe was hissing at him again and aiming her gun, "―ut your mouth. Show me the way, Max."

Max instructed her to aim it a little to the right, and after giving a hearty response, Chloe hit the bottle, the impact of the bullet causing it to explode.

"Ah yes! Did you see that shit, Max?" She asked, full of enthusiasm.

"Duh." Max replied.

"That was so fucking cool!" She flipped the gun over to Ethan, "Do you wanna go?"

He stared at it apprehensively, "I-I'm not really good with guns. Tried it once back in Florida; I can't shoot to save my life." He gently pushed it back to her with the back of his hand, "The bullets would be put to better use with you, trust me."

"Have it your way." She said before turning to her childhood friend, "How about you, Max?"

"Uh..." She started, "Why don't you shoot all of these bottles first, and then...maybe."

"Alright," She sighed, aiming her gun again, "Now for the second bottle..."

The next two bottles hit successfully like the first one (with Max's help), and Chloe decided she wanted to get a little more creative. With that in mind, she and Max opted to shoot at the wheel rim settled on top of a barrel, and the bullet―to Ethan's astonishment―ricochet off of it and shattered one of the bottles.

"Hella yes!" She exclaimed.

"Nice shootin', Tex." Max commented.

"That was bad ass." Ethan commented as well.

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about!"

"Satisfied?" Max wondered.

"Like, _never_." She scoffed, "So I want one more uber cool trick shot..."

Max pointed at the old vehicle stationed high atop some other junk, just above the shooting range, "How about using that junker for a target now?"

"Just show me where to shoot, Max." Chloe said, getting ready to fire.

"Try the bumper, maybe it'll ricochet off of that too and hit one of the bottles." Max suggested. Unfortunately, it doesn't turn out that way and she rewinded back.

Ethan rubbed his chin, observing the parts and bits of the decayed vehicle, "It looks like there's still air in that left tire. If you shoot it, it might lower enough so that if you shoot the bumper again, it will hit the bottle next time."

"We shot the bumper already?" Chloe asked, confused.

"May as well try it." Max acknowledged, dodging Chloe's question completely. "Chloe, aim at the left tire."

Chloe did so and cocked the action back, "Adios, spinning wheel of death..." A bit dramatic, but Ethan chuckled. The bullet hit its mark and he could hear the squeak as the last bits of air left the tire. As a result, not only did the car lower itself, but because of the weight, it leaned forward and crashed down, taking the last of the bottles with it.

"Uber cool." Chloe simply said before she and Max did some kind of hand shake. "I can't believe this is for reals. My best friend is a _superhero_! And her lackey too!"

"Lackey?" Ethan squinted.

"Now it's your turn to bust a cap!" Chloe said, stepping in front of Max.

"I don't know..." She said.

Ethan came closer to them and noticed Max was holding her head.

A trail of red ran down her nostrils and a chill slithered up Ethan's spine, "Max, your nose. Damn..." Chloe noticed.

"Max?" He stepped to her side.

She swiped some of the blood with her fingers before her eyes began to roll and shut, "I...don't...feel so super..."

"Max!" Ethan and Chloe shouted as she fell to the floor.

Ethan grabbed at her hand, feeling a jolt as he gripped, and there was suddenly a flurry of images being pushed into his mind. A deep ringing bellowed into the night, with images of the tornado bringing catastrophic damage to everything in it's path. It roared with its presence, thunder booming all around, and the rain dropped heavily on the street around him.

He jerked back his hand with a gasp of air, falling backwards on his ass before propping himself up with both hands.

"What the hell happened? What's going on?" She questioned, the worry evident in her voice.

Ethan calmed his breathing after a few seconds and shook his head, "I don't fucking know. I just...Fuck. It doesn't matter right now, let's get her up." He scrambled back to his feet and squatted, sliding one arm underneath her legs and the other wrapping around her back before he lifted her up. She was very light, much more than he had expected.

"Come on, we can put her down here." Chloe beckoned. He followed her over to the area he saw Max at earlier and she gestured to one of the long hooded cars, "This is where I like to lie down, you can put her here."

She sat down on the hood and Ethan laid Max gently across, placing her head on top of Chloe's lap. When she seemed like she was in a comfortable enough position, Ethan dug into his bag and grabbed the bag of tissues his grandmother so graciously provided him. With great care, he dabbed at the blood on his friend's nose, erasing it from her pale freckled skin. Once that was done, he sighed and put the used tissue back into his bag, only just realizing how bad his hand was shaking. He crossed his arms to keep it still, taking deep breaths as he watched Chloe push the bangs out of Max's eyes, then proceeded to run her hand comfortingly along her back.

The two of them waited in silence for her to wake up. Nothing but a cycle of wind, rustling trees, and a moving train in the back to fill the gap. Five minutes had passed when Ethan decided to break it, "It might be best if she doesn't use her powers anymore today...I think she exhausted herself with how many times she used it earlier."

"You might be right..." Some of her hair was wiggling out of the beanie and getting into her eye, before she pulled on it and tucked it back.

"She's not a toy we can just play around with, we need to be more careful."

Chloe lifted her gaze to him, "What are you saying? That this is _my_ fault?"

He shook his head, "No. I'm saying it's _both_ our faults. You shouldn't have pushed her to do it so much and I should have stopped it earlier."

"Hey, fuck you. It's called _trial and error_ , it's the only way we're going to find out how these powers work." She argued, "And what do you mean _stop it_? Max is a big girl, she doesn't need you to make her decisions for her."

"Yeah, I know that but...shit..." He sighed, tiredly, "None of this is making any sense, you know? I mean, if the situations were reverse, I'd be doing the exact same thing you're doing. Because you're right, that _is_ the only way we're going to get results. But for some reason...I..." He stared down at his hand, the same one that held Max's moments ago, "When I grabbed her hand, I could see that fucking storm again. And while the image and idea of it alone is frightening enough, I have no idea why and that makes it all the more terrifying."

"Why what?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ethan smacked his lips together, "Why are we seeing this storm and what does it have to do with time travel? Why do we have these powers? Why can I only use mine when she's using hers? Why do they make Max's nose bleed? Why do I get so angry and anxious when a person I _just met_ is in danger?" He gestured his hand to the brunette, "Why do I feel so..." He trailed off, "...Sorry. I hate rambling about shit like this."

"It's whatevs, dude." She told him, "You're curious, like Max. Just don't go crazy about it, 'cause I doubt you're going to find your answers by googling them or searching for them in a thread on Reddit. Some things just can't really be explained." She exhaled through her nose, "That's a pretty cool power you have by the way. It's got nothing on Max's, but definitely useful."

"I suppose." Ethan dug his hands into his pockets, "I can also move around when she rewinds, you know? When she's doing it she has to stand still, but I can breeze on as I please."

"Hunh..." She pondered, "So if you two were to time it right, it's almost like you would be teleporting."

"I guess so."

"Oh man...You know, even after everything you guys showed me today, part of me is still trying to believe this is real. Like this isn't all some elaborate trick or something."

Ethan laughed, "I don't blame you. Something like this is either bat-shit crazy or..." He looked away for a moment and then chuckled as he met her eyes, "Nope, that's it."

A groan suddenly escaped Max's lips and their laughter ceased immediately, there attention now being on the girl in question.

She began to heave herself up, one hand cupping her right eye, and Ethan spoke softly, "Hey, not so fast, you're alright."

"You really freaked us out there." Chloe said with a tone similar to his, "Do you feel any better now?"

Max looked at them both, "A little. Thanks for helping me, guys. I appreciate the love..." She winced, "Just...give me a minute..."

"Take your time." Ethan said. He wasn't sure how she felt after fainting like that, but a throbbing noggin might not be too far off a guess.

"Too much action for Arcadia?" Chloe raised an eyebrow.

Max looked at her sheepishly, "Maybe not enough." She moved off of the car and stood on her feet, finding her balance fairly quickly. Perhaps she wasn't hurting as bad as Ethan was expecting. "This was kinda fun. _Scary_ and _stupid_ , but fun."

"Most of the great experiences in life usually are." Ethan quipped, "But maybe we don't use your time travel anymore today? You already fainted, I don't wanna see what happens if you push yourself any further."

"Might be for the best." Chloe chimed.

Max looked like she was going to argue against it but ultimately, nodded her head and accepted it.

"Let me know when you're feeling ready to do something." Chloe announced, aiming her gun up at the sky as she straightened her back on the hood of the car.

Max fiddled with the zipper on her jacket with one hand, flicking the grip up and down with her index finger, "We can do something now. I-I feel fine, really."

Ethan wasn't convinced, "Don't have to lie, Max. We have no problem waiting for a bit."

"Seriously, I'm fine!" She repeated. "Am I gonna I have to do the straight line test to convince you?"

Chloe snapped up to ninety degrees, "Max, you know what the straight line test is? You little bad ass!"

Max rubbed her arm nervously, "Yeah...A few friends of mine told me about it, and I think I saw it in a movie once."

Chloe narrowed her eyes before rolling them, "Oh. I take that 'bad ass' statement back then. But don't worry, I'll make sure you're worthy of it soon." She winked at her. Max's face reddened slightly, Ethan noticed. Chloe jumped off the hood and on to her feet, "In fact, we can start right now. Looks like you're ready to lock and load."

Max looked down at the gun being presented to her, "I don't know about this..."

"Are you afraid of getting in trouble?" Chloe asked, concerned. At least, that's what it sounded like, before her tone morphed into one of mockery, "Oh boo hoo, Max is afraid! I _know_ you can handle this. And I'm here to guide you."

For all of her apparent flaws, Chloe certainly had a captivating personality―one very capable of drawing a person in. Ethan found himself intrigued watching these two girls together, two different personalities, and yet so close. Max searched his face to get some kind of approval, but Ethan remained neutral. Chloe was right, she doesn't need him to make her own decisions.

A few seconds passed and Max took the gun from Chloe. She switched it in each hand, getting a feel for the balance as it probably felt quite alien to her.

Then, in the corner of Ethan's eye, he spotted a man coming their way. The grass as well as some other junk on the floor crackled beneath his shoes, giving up his position indefinitely. When he was only ten feet away, he spread his arms out and Ethan got full view of him.

He was a tall man, with dirty blonde hair and a scruffy 'Heisenberg' beard colored with a darker tinge. His neckline was adorned with a few different necklaces as well as some disturbingly interesting tattoos. He had broad shoulders underneath his red tank top and black leather jacket, it's collar rising up to his cheeks with the zipper down. Faded blue jeans made up his bottom, though they were beyond worn and torn from extended use. Oil and sweat stains spotted the kneecaps and holes were spreading open at the thighs, which made Ethan wonder how long it had been since this man had done any sort of hygienic cleaning. He also wore combat boots as his footwear, which was surprisingly the only clean looking thing on him.

"Hey, it's Thelma and Louise." He greeted with a false playfulness before raising an arm, "Or is it Bonnie and Clyde?"

Ethan began to feel uneasy. Chloe shuffled in place, "Excuse us, Frank."

The man, Frank, furrowed his brow and Ethan felt a tingle, just as he did when Nathan threatened Max in the parking lot, and again when David argued in Chloe's room. He instinctively inched closer to the girls.

"Oh sorry, Chloe. Don't let me get in the way of your bonding." He replied, pointing with double fingers to the fallen car across the yard, "I heard the gunshots and the breaking glass and thought I'd check it out. It's cute that you're playing with guns." He gestured with both hands, "Just like me when I was your age."

Ethan couldn't see it fully, but he could tell she was glaring at him, "We're not anything alike, man."

He raised both eyebrows, "That so? We both need money..." He chuckled darkly, "In fact, you need it so bad you owe me a shitload. Don't you, Chloe? Huh?"

"You'll get your money." She said persistently, though lacking the same confidence she had earlier. He took a few steps closer to her, stopping a little short of three feet from her. Max's arms were shaking behind her back. _She is scared._ Ethan thought. And truth be told, so was he. This was the man Chloe had to pay back, the one who caused her to try and sucker the money from Nathan in the first place.

"Don't they all say that? Y'know, even when they're broke and acting tough..."

Ethan stepped in front of Chloe a smidge, just enough so that he could be face to face with the man. He ignored whatever madness came over him to step into this and tried to look as intimidating as he could.

"You heard her. You'll get your money. Now, piss off." Arguably not the smartest tactic for dealing with someone like this. But confidence was key to pulling it off, and even frightened, that was something Ethan had in abundance.

Unfortunately for him, Frank was not swayed in the slightest, "Fuck off, pretty boy. Get in my face like that again and I'll cut you up, understand?" His nose scrunched from the scowl he had on his face. Ethan tried to stand his ground but he could still feel himself inching backwards; it was Chloe's shoulder that prevented him from moving any further.

Frank swiveled his bearded head, "What do you got behind your back there, girlie?" He pointed to Max, "Let me see!"

Chloe abruptly bumped Ethan aside and peered at Frank's arm, "Where did you get that bracelet?"

Ethan spotted it now, raising an eyebrow as Frank favored it behind his back to hide it from further attention. It was blue threaded, wrapping around two black bangles that circled around the wrist. At first glance, it didn't really appear to be all that impressive; it's value was clearly more sentimental than anything.

"A friend." He answered, curtly, "And it's none of your goddamn business. _You're_ my business now and I―"

"That's Rachel's bracelet." Chloe interrupted after getting a closer look, "Why the _fuck_ are you wearing her bracelet?"

Ethan squinted at him. Why would he have something of Rachel's and Chloe not know anything about it? Could he have maybe...

"Calm yourself, alright?" He said, pulling his hand back, "It was a gift."

"No it wasn't." Chloe barked, stubbornly, "You stole that shit. Give it to me right now, asshole."

Ethan's eyes widened and he felt his stomach churn as Frank pulled out a pocket knife and got dangerously close to Chloe, "You better step back before you regret it, girl. I mean it." Ethan yanked her back by the arm and put his hand out in front of Frank, "I meant what I said before, I will cut you up too, bitch."

"Take it easy, man. You don't need to cut anyone." Ethan placated.

His mouth opened to reply, but he was overshadowed by the click of an action being pulled back. Ethan knew the sound from earlier when Chloe was shooting bottles. But this time it wasn't Chloe behind the gun and bottles were not the target.

Max was awkwardly holding it out in front of her, not even aiming it at eye level, just in the man's general direction. That didn't matter though, not at this range. Things were really getting out of control.

"Please...Please step back." Max warned, nervously.

Frank eyed her skeptically, "You're kidding. Put that down."

Taking easy steps, Ethan tried to diffuse the situation, attempting to get closer to the brunette, "Max, calm down. Think about what you're doing right now. Put the gun―"

 _Click._

Ethan froze in place, the sound of the empty chamber paralyzing his legs from any movement.

Frank exhaled, surprised by the outcome as one hand pressed against his chest. No bullet had hit him, by a lucky turn of events he would live to be an asshole for yet another day.

He laughed bitterly, "That is hilarious! Oh, man..." He got up close to her, savoring each step, "I'll remember you, kid. I'll remember you almost shot me. And you'll _wish_ I had no memory, because I _never_ forget." The knife was inches away from Max's face when Frank turned to Ethan, "Didn't know it was out of bullets there, hero?" Ethan stared grimly, but said nothing. Frank shifted over to Chloe this time and told her to pay him by next week before promptly making his exit.

Once he was out of sight, Max stared at the grass below her feet and sighed, "Sorry..."

Chloe stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her, "You were awesome. Thanks for standing up for me..." After releasing her, she turned to Ethan, "You too, snowflake. That was hella cool of you step in there and help me. Especially when...I-I didn't realize he had a knife on him..." Ethan nodded, keeping silent. Max was quiet too, holding her straight arm by the elbow across her stomach. "Let's bail. My secret lair isn't feeling all that secret today."

She walked off towards the tracks and beckoned for him and Max to follow.

His legs felt heavy, but Ethan forced himself to move, "Come on, let's not keep her waiting."

"Are you alright?" She asked, sincerely as she fell in step with him.

 _"No."_ He wanted to say. _"You tried to kill someone, Max. I'm not okay!"_

"Of course. We're alive right? Could've gone a lot worse." He said, ignoring his thoughts, trying to convince himself as much as her.

"I guess..." She agreed, reluctantly. She tilted her head, "It was an accident, you know...I-I didn't realize the trigger was so sensitive..."

Ethan gave her long look and pressed his lips into a thin line when Chloe called out, yelling for them to hurry up.

He patted her on the shoulder, "Go on ahead. I'm right behind you guys."

Max studied him for a moment before nodding and running towards her best friend.

Ethan watched her go, pondering. That man, Frank...He was threatening to cut both he and Chloe up with a knife, and hell, maybe he would have. Who knows what would have happened if Max didn't aim that gun at him. But pulling the trigger? It could've been an accident, like she said. It seemed plausible enough, she was scared after all. It would be really nice to believe that...But Max has already proven before that she'd risk a lot for Chloe...

Her intentions may have been pure, but it would be careless of him to just ignore the whole thing. He was gonna have to keep a closer eye on her.

* * *

They had walked down the railroad tracks for ten minutes before Ethan stepped aside to use the 'restroom', leaving the two girls to talk about how Chloe got into this whole mess with Frank to begin with. Ethan would have liked to hear the story as well, but decided Max would tell him later if he asked. They had went the whole way holding hands and balancing themselves on opposite rails of the track while he kept on the grass. Unfortunately, that resulted with the bottom of his pants picking up a few extra guests in the form of grass beads. Harmless of course, but a terrible nuisance having to pick them out one by one later.

A chill breeze skimmed through the trees and Ethan shivered, finishing his business before he fastened his belt back into place. The weather was so strange in Oregon. It was sweltering outside, yet the air was cool and thick with moisture; dark clouds visible just beyond the tall trees that grew here. It was a welcome change from where he had stayed in Florida, he had to admit.

With a twist of his back, he trudged his way toward the railroad where his friends awaited him, the soft sunlight kissing his cheeks through the empty gaps of the leaves above him. Ethan was still uncertain of what lived in these woods and so he was cautious with every step he took. The grass was taller than he was comfortable to admit and he didn't want to piss off anything that would retaliate against him.

Ethan broke through the treeline and stepped back on to the path, the trees behind him rustling in a musical of nature. The girls were no longer where he had departed from them, instead taking position just a little ways down where there appeared to be some construction going on, judging by the spools of thick black wire and piles of timber stacked on the sides. A steep path was open on the left with a water tower and a small building atop the hill it was perched on. Those daredevils were lying down across the tracks, head and feet opposite to each other. The sight of them doing it was enough to make Ethan a little wary, but the train lines must have already passed through this route by now. If not, they'd no doubt be able to feel one coming from the vibrations.

He was only a few yards away from them when he bellowed out his best imitation of a trains blow horn. They were not amused.

"Aaaah, you totally got us." Chloe faked, leaning her head back. "You suck at impressions."

"What? Give me a break, I'm not _that_ bad. Am I, Max?" He questioned.

She smiled coyly, "It could use some work..."

Ethan hung his head and muttered, "Really know how to bring a guy down ladies, thanks."

Chloe scoffed, "I know plenty of ways to take down a guy. Men are easy. Just need to focus on what they value most, their precious little toy."

Ethan's head shot up before he smirked, "It's not that simple for all of us, you know. Certainly not with me, anyway. Hell, I bet I could take _you_ down before you could _me_."

She raised an eyebrow with some intrigue, "And how would you take me down, snowflake?" She challenged.

"A lesson for another day." He winked, playfully, "For now we should probably start making our way out of here."

Max gave both of them odd looks before checking the time on her phone, "Oh crap, you're right. Class starts in a half hour."

Ethan offered her a hand and she took it gratefully.

"So what if it does?" Chloe nonchalantly waved her hand in the air, "You can just rewind time and class will be waiting patiently at your command. We can spend all day together without losing a minute."

"Haven't we talk about that?" Ethan asked, though it wasn't really a question.

Max ignored him, "Even if I _do_ do that it won't be the same. You'll be stuck in one moment and we'll just be going in an infinite loop. That's no fun!"

Chloe sighed, "I see your point. An infinite time loop does seem pretty boring without me, doesn't it?"

Max chuckled, "You're ridiculous. Get up."

"Alright alright." She conceded. The bluenette pushed against the ground to get herself up but her first attempt was met with failure and she slumped back down. "Uuh...guys. I think I have a little problem."

Ethan rose an eyebrow, "Gravity not letting you stand?"

"Shut up." Max told him, "Chloe come on, we have to go."

Chloe clenched her teeth, grunting as she pulled on her leg, "No, I'm serious, I-I think I'm stuck!"

Ethan examined her boot where the rail met the end of its width. The trail turned at a different angle and her foot appeared to be wedged in between the spot where the rail can switch lanes. How that happened was tricky to surmise at the moment, largely irrelevant as well. Max grabbed her with two hands and heaved her up so she could stand. After another fruitless attempt to tug it out, they had to find some other solution.

"Can you try slipping out of the shoe?" Ethan suggested.

"But won't the boot be dangerous for any train that comes this way?" Max wondered.

Chloe continued to pull helplessly, "Are you kidding me? It'd squash the thing instantly." She said. Hardly the expert.

Max eyed the railroad and then glanced at a lever off to the left. "Bet that thing controls the split pathway. We can just turn it the other way and she'll be free."

Ethan nodded in agreement. "It's worth a shot."

"Fine. But hurry up!" Chloe shouted as he began to walk over to the aforementioned lever. "I don't like being stuck here like this."

"Relax, _damsel._ It's not like you're tied to the tracks." He joked. This situation briefly reminded him of an old western movie he once saw. Must have been great for its time, but for this day and age, melodrama was undeniably cringe worthy. "Trains aren't coming right now either, nothing to worry about!"

The sound of a distant blow horn pierced through the air sharply, filling Ethan with dread as the three of them turned towards the source; evidently coming from where they had came from.

"Hurry!" Max commanded fiercely, as the two began to frantically try everything they could to pull her out normally.

Ethan closed the distance to the lever in a second, gripping it tightly before pulling it to the left. Only the lever did not move with his arms, refusing to budge an inch. _It's locked_ , Ethan surmised as he cursed inwardly. He prodded the edge of the fuse box next to the electronics around the lever and pulled it open. The contents inside revealed itself to be three different colored wires: green, yellow, and red; each one no doubt involved with the system here.

 _Question is: Which one controls the lock for the lever?_

The train's ghastly horn sounded off once more, this time much closer than before. One glance in that direction and Ethan's eyes became saucers, the locomotive coming their way at a breakneck pace. Ethan began to grind his teeth as his eyes locked on the small building up the hill. Something up in there might help, but he was going to need more time. Much as he didn't want Max to use her powers anymore, Chloe's life is in danger. _Max would use it anyway_ , he told himself.

"Max I need you to rewind!" He shouted to her as he broke into a sprint up the dirt slopes of the hill. Time shifted back as requested, though how far back he wasn't sure, reality returning to normal just as he reached the door. One twist of the knob told him it was locked, which he then swore to in a fury. This was no time for finesse; he had to get in there quickly. Ethan searched around for a rock, or something just as blunt, until he landed on a crow bar and he curled his lip into a smile. He staggered over to it and lifted it off the brick it was placed in. Gripping it with both hands, he stood in front of the glass paneled door and held the tool like a baseball bat before smashing it against the window.

Bits of glass dropped to the floor and he stuck his arm inside, wincing as he felt a prick slide along his arm before reaching the knob on the other side. Ethan could hear the horn go off again and tried to ignore Chloe's cry for help as he leaped inside the now open doorway, just in time before everything rewinded once more. The door's window was now back in pristine condition and Ethan breathed heavily from the adrenaline flowing through him. He swiftly went to work, checking each drawer for something that would tell him how to unlock the lever. To his dismay, he found nothing of the sort. He did, however, procure a wire cutter from the tool box.

 _It'll have to do._

He threw the door open and stepped back out, the heat from the sun tickling the back of his neck as he rounded the corner by the water tower. He could see the girls from here. Chloe continued to struggle while blood trailed down Max's nose, and while her legs stayed firmly planted on the ground, Ethan feared she might collapse soon.

He had to move faster.

"Faster." He muttered, "Faster faster faster."

He slid down the slope, covering his pants with a decent amount of dirt before he ran to the lever. Stopping in front of the fuse box, he pried it open again, the constant rewinds having closed it earlier. He studied the wires prudently as if he were disarming a bomb with no instructions. _Hell it may as well be at this point._ Ethan took the wire cutters in his hand and lifted it to the yellow. He was just going to have to try one. The wire snipped in half, resulting in a pop of sparks that made him flinch back. He scowled in frustration and tried again, this time going for the red one. With a second snip, he heard the mechanism clink and his body moved to the lever before he could even process the joy he felt then.

Ethan gripped the bar and pulled on it, shifting the rail road to a different course as the train came dangerously close. Chloe wasted no time jumping out and Ethan switched the lever back into place for the train to continue it's destination. But as he looked up, a panic engulfed him terribly. The sight of Max still on the train tracks, right arm up and on her knees. _She's too weak to move or rewind._ Chloe turned around at this moment and saw this as well. She started towards her, but the train was too close, there was no time.

Ethan clenched his teeth hard and felt his chest tighten. A wave of a feeling scampered up his body just as he felt his feet leave the ground. The air around him ripped, changed in a way he couldn't describe. An energy tickled his skin as he found himself wrapping his arms around Max and then suddenly appeared ten feet away from the tracks.

He was on his back, dazed, still holding her until a pain struck abruptly in his chest and he let her go. He twisted and turned on the grass as an agonizing ringing played in his ear drums. With a gritted jaw he clenched his head, indexes pressing against his temples and thumbs glossing over wetness below his ears. Moments go by, Ethan wasn't sure how long, but the sound eventually began to fade. The pain in his chest slithered away as well.

Ethan dropped his hands to the ground, taking in the warm rays of the sun as it licked at his face. Shoes crunched on the grass with each step around him as a figure crouched next to him.

"Ethan, you okay?" A voice Ethan presumed to be Chloe's asked.

"Yeah." He breathed out, "Just trying to get my vitamin-D."

Chloe chuckled, "I bet you're a real fan of vitamin-D, aren't you?"

"A dick joke? Seriously?"

"Your ears are bleeding." Max stated, joining the conversation as she wiped her nose.

Ethan touched his ear and brought it to his face, blood wetting the tip of his finger. It didn't hurt anymore, so he assumed it wasn't bleeding anymore either. He wiped it off as best he could before wiping it on the grass.

Chloe circled around so that she was facing both of them and crouched down. "You guys saved me again. That was fucking crazy." She sighed with relief. "After this I'd say we're totally bonded for life!" She turned her head to him, "Ethan, how did you move that fast? You were there for one second and next thing I know, you were on my side of the tracks with Max. Did you rewind Max?"

"I couldn't." Max confessed, somewhat sheepishly. "No matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn't go."

 _What did happen? Everything was moving so fast, I could hardly process it myself, much less understand it._

"So does that mean...Ethan did that by himself?" She looked at him, "You teleported?" The excitement in her voice began to show itself again.

Ethan could only sigh. He was beyond tired to care, truthfully. Something to think about another time, "Hell if I know." He answered before standing up on his feet, shaking off a head rush before seeing Chloe assist Max up.

"As fun as all of this was—and I mean that from the bottom of my heart—how's about we head to school now?" He asked.

Max snickered, "I second that."

"After today I'd rather take you guys to Mars." Chloe said taking the lead, "But, hey, you book worms want to go to school and be normal? Fine. I will be your faithful chauffeur."

Ethan smiled at the thought.

 _A normal rest of the day sounds perfect._

* * *

 **A/N:** **Longest chapter ever at just over 10,000 words. Was originally going to make it longer, but this alone was a bit of a bitch to write for me. Thank you KameXI for the great advice! I only realized what you meant a little afterwards, but I did do what you suggested, so hopefully this chapter read better than the others in terms of tenses?** _  
_

 **I want to apologize for such a timely wait, I'm getting really tired of taking so long and not being able to keep my word about updates. So from now on, unless I already have the chapters written down, I won't guarantee when a chapter comes out anymore. It's just better that way I think.**

 **If you haven't played Before The Storm yet by the way, I strongly recommend you do! It's really good and I enjoyed the first episode very much. While Rhianna DeVrise's performance as Chloe isn't better than Ashley Burch's (the emotional scenes in particular was little off putting at times for me) she does an excellent job as Chloe. Most of the time I didn't actually mind the difference, to be honest. Oh, and Rachel Amber? I love her already lol. She reminds me of Ethan almost, which is just...weird, really.**

 **Anyway, I'm about to get hit by a big fucking hurricane so I'll be able to start writing the next chapter once the power comes back on. Or I might just start writing it down on paper or something, I don't know. Either way, if any of you live in Florida (like me), good luck this weekend, because this storm is gonna suck :/**

 **Alright, see you next time :)**


	17. No Choice Left

**A/N: I am alive! And thankfully no immediate damage to my house, although one of my palm trees are now bent in an awkward shape...**

 **Thank you for the good luck wishes in that last chapter, guys. It was nice to hear, er―read :) The storm, luckily for me, moved a bit west of where I live, so I turned out alright.**

 **Anyway, please enjoy this quick little update!**

 ***FAIR WARNING* This chapter is a little more depressing than the others, and I'm sure you can understand why...**

* * *

Chapter 16: No Choice Left

 **~Kate~**

Kate's heart throbbed in her chest, thumping loud and hard within the confined space of the girls bathroom stall. Her eyes were closed shut, blocking the tears from flowing any further down her pink cheeks as she wiped them away with the sleeve of her navy blue cardigan. No matter how much she cried, the tears seemed to have no end. Her other hand gripped her necklace tightly, fingers curling around the small silver cross.

 _God, please help me in this time of need...Everything, it...Everything is falling apart. My family has shunned me. Most of my friends have turned their back on me. I've tried so hard to be brave, to fix what is happening to me...But anything I try―or think about trying_ _―_ _always seems to be the wrong choice. If anything it only makes things worse! Have I done something wrong? Do I deserve this? Is this the path you envisioned for me?...Please...I beg you._

 _Send me help...Send me an angel..._

After she left the dorm room, it didn't take long for her to find out her worst fears had come to life. The thing she hadn't wanted to happen. That terrible video was made into its own website, and shared online for everyone to see. Now it wasn't just social media or a video being passed around, it was the whole world that could see her shame. Her shameful moment that she couldn't even recall within her own thoughts. That night where she made the stupid mistake of going to that party and the even dumber decision of trusting Nathan Prescott―not that she was in any position to say no. He had drugged her that night. He must have! It was the only explanation that made sense.

She had told Max as much this morning, but the brunette insisted she kept quiet about it until they knew more information. That was easy for her to say; she wasn't the one being harassed. But, admittedly, it was nice to talk on the phone with her earlier. Kate had thought for a moment that Max had only given her empty words, like most people had done. Her bible group, even though she hadn't gone to a meeting in a while, none of the other members attempted to reach out to her beyond a few words. She refused to contact her parents for fear of her mother picking up, and no one seemed to want to associate with her anymore. Only Max, but it seemed more out of kindness than anything.

She felt so alone now.

Her breathing was stuttered when she finally opened her eyes. The cold air in the restroom brushed against her face and she squinted, which mistakenly caused her to read the graffiti students had taken to writing on the stalls. Such profanity targeted at people― _good_ people. Some she even knew. The freshest message painted onto the door made her frown.

 **'Kate Marsh is a bible-loving slut'**

She wrinkled her nose and buried her face in her hands, trying to prevent another wave of tears from falling. _How can the students here be so cruel?_ She had to get out of there...She still had to write down the notes for her English-Lit class later today. With a sniffle, Kate grabbed her bag before slinging it over her shoulder and stepped out of the stall. Walking across to the sink, she turned the knob for water, letting it fill the bowl of porcelain before cupping a bit with her hands and splashing a little on her face. Cold beads of liquid slithered down her skin and she turned the water off before looking at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was slightly disheveled, with strands falling down loosely from the bun, and her bangs now soaked and refusing to stay in place. Her eyes were red and puffy, exhausted from the copious amounts of crying and stress no doubt.

She grabbed both sides of the sink and sighed tiredly at her reflection.

How could things have gotten so terrible?

Taking a deep breath, Kate Marsh reached for two sheets of paper towels and wiped her hands before stepping out into the main hall. Not counting her room, The library would be the next best place to jot down some last minute notes. Everyone minds their own business there and it'd be quiet enough for her to work. That destination in mind, she turned to the double doors opposite of the entrance and went through. Thankfully there were not many around in the halls for the moment, with most students either getting breakfast or enjoying their last few moments of being outside before the rain starts. Whichever one it was, Kate was grateful for it.

She turned the corner through the door of the media center and did a quick check around the room, silently praying that none of the Vortex Club members were here. Not that it mattered at this point...

The library was one of the oldest places in Blackwell, being built at the same time the school had its grand opening. It's been renovated at least twice now since then, and to Kate, it was certainly one of the better places at the academy. Only downside to it was the terrible reception. Luckily the Wi-Fi was free to use, and decent enough. The walls were a combination of gold and red, with black trimming traveling parallel with each other around the room. Some of the squared spots were purposely left unpainted, as a way for the art classes to get creative and brighten the campus up more.

In the back was where the editing team worked on the Blackwell Totem. The room was specifically made for that purpose, and no one else short of a story was allowed inside. Kate remembered when she first arrived at the school, how strict they were about that particular rule. She didn't want to be part of the newspaper anyway, but it was definitely fun to participate in collaborations with them. That was how her meals-on-wheels fundraiser started.

Once she found a table to work at, time seemed to run smoothly. Kate buried herself in her studies, trying to write down any significant facts about 'The October Country' that she didn't already know. She had read the stories even before the novel was assigned to the class. Ray Bradbury just had such a way with words, Kate could easily confuse it with poetry and she could envision every bit of a scene he wrote down with each of his stories. Unfortunately, most of them end on a rather cryptic note.

Kate placed her pencil down on the seam of her notebook and began skimming through the pages of the novel, when she heard a collection of shallow whispers. Her head turned to its direction, making direct eye contact with two girls. They were below her grade, sophomores probably, and they―somewhat awkwardly―looked away from her gaze, as if they'd been caught doing something they weren't supposed to.

Her brow inched close together. Frowning, she scanned the room around her, finding a noticeable pattern among each of her peers. One group was watching something on their phone, taking quick glances at her and snickering all the while. One boy with large headphones around his neck tapped away at his phone just before he snuck a peak her way. Every ten to twenty meters around the media center, there was at least one student giving her a knowing stare.

No one was mocking her. No one was calling her names or making fun of her for the video, and yet, suddenly Kate was back to feeling uncomfortable. Trapped. Did they not understand? They didn't need to say it out loud; their judgmental stares and quiet comments were all but enough to drive the statements towards her. And they hit well. With each pair of eyes came a wave of anxiety and repression. Her spine shivered from a chill and her breath quickened.

 _I have to get out of here..._

Gathering her things, she stuffed it all into her bag, not even thinking about the clutter it created as she made a hasty retreat. Once she stepped foot out in the hall, the bell had rung and swarms of students came buzzing out of their classrooms.

 _First period is over. That means I can go to Mr. Jefferson's class now! I-I should be safer there. He'll look out for me...Just yesterday he mentioned that I could talk to him if I needed to. Yeah...He'll listen to me._

She came out through the same double doors she used to go to the library. The main hall was packed now, with every swift moving student trying to make their way to their second class or stopping to chat with friends; it made things a bit difficult to navigate to the hall where her locker was, which was also next to Mr. Jefferson's class.

After making it past the bulk, the crowd began to thin, but it didn't stop her from accidentally bumping into someone. The sudden collision caused the boy to drop his text book and a few sheets of paper flapped down slowly in the air. Most passerby's stepped out of the way, but there were the occasional meanies who didn't bother to do so and trampled on some of them.

"Jeez, I-I'm so sorry!" She instinctively apologized.

The boy looked up at her, brushing some of his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes, one of them with a faint shade of black. Strange that she didn't recognize him immediately; there's only one person she knows that would wear a Schrodinger cat shirt.

"Hiya, Kate." Warren greeted with his usual smile, "Don't worry about it. They're just notes, no big."

"Are they for your next class?" She asked, picking up the ones she could.

He assisted and collected them from her, inspecting each sheet carefully before rubbing his head, "Yeah...unfortunately."

Kate frowned, "Sorry..."

Warren beamed, "Don't be sorry. It's Science Lab, see?" He gestured to the door to her left before leaning in with a lower voice, "And as you know, science is my specialty."

Kate forced a smile, "I thought movies were your specialty?"

He laughed sheepishly, "Haha, you got me there. But I consider that more of a hobby. Besides, movies are a type of science too. Just depends on your perspective of it."

"I suppose..." Kate couldn't find an argument for that; nor did she care much to. Warren often knew what he was talking about anyway, despite her having a higher grade in that class than him. He's much more passionate about science than she is; it was cute how excited he got sometimes.

She could feel his eyes scanning her, but it wasn't like the others. His didn't feel judgmental, just...concerned, "Anyway, um...Are you..." He mumbled, trying to form a sentence.

Warren always had that sweet innocence about him. Seeing him with his black eye (a 'reward' earned for defending Max) only served to prove her point, and it made her feel sorry for him too. Kate admired how nothing seemed to trouble him. Bullies were picking on him long before they were picking on her, and yet he pushes on as if they never happened in the first place. It was an envious quality indeed.

"I have to go." Kate cut him off, "See you later, okay?"

"Yeah..." He said as she walked past him, "See ya..."

She turned into Mr. Jefferson's class and glanced about the room. Most everyone was already in class, save for the exception of Max. Victoria was already in the back talking mean things with her posse, along with Nathan Prescott, who had a bandage taped to his nose. He wasn't in class all the time, so the fact that he's here just meant he didn't have anything better to do. How unlucky for her...

Kate hovered to her usual seat and ignored the stares and conversations around her, even though her name was clearly the one being spoken amongst them. Unlike the people in the library, however, _they_ didn't bother trying to be discreet about it. The people in the Vortex Club always felt so privileged to do as they please. It wasn't fair at all.

She sat on her chair and set her bag on the table. Most of the room, which once was fascinating and brimming with interesting history of photography, it was just static now. Kate barely noticed it nowadays, her mind would only gather the students within the room, barely.

"Kate." Victoria called out to her, "How does it feel to be the next big internet sensation?" She sneered. Taylor began making kissy faces to further the insensitive joke before Dana hit her arm. Hayden, who was off in the corner, just pretended to not hear the mockery at all. He may be in the Vortex Club, but he never did get involved in any of the antics that didn't concern parties. He was usually nice to everyone. Nathan gave a small chuckle but didn't bother looking her in the eye.

Kate chewed on the corner of her lower lip, checking to see if anyone else in the class was going to say something. Alyssa stayed staring at the window, arms draped down to her sides, deep in thought. Daniel looked up a couple of times from what he was drawing, but other than that, did nothing as well. Of course no one's doing anything. No one here cared about her.

Where was the angel she had prayed for...?

Mr. Jefferson came in eye sight at the door and Kate grabbed her bag before walking over to him. She could feel eyes following her, but she ignored them as best she could, before stepping out onto the hall and facing her teacher.

"Good morning, Mr. Jefferson." She greeted hollowly, "Could I speak to you about something?"

"Hello, Kate." He returned on a more lively note, "You don't look so good. Are you doing okay?"

She shook her head, "No. Th-that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about." She fiddled with her necklace, "You said I could come to you if I ever needed help?"

"I did." He spoke slowly, "I'm...assuming this is about the video?"

Kate twirled the cross in her hand and nodded, "Somebody turned it into a website and shared the link across a ton of different info sites."

"Ah, I see." He rubbed at his scruffy beard, "Listen, I wouldn't worry too much about that..."

She raised her eyebrows, confused. Could no one see how detrimental this was to her? She thought―hoped―at least he would... "How can I not worry about that? It's all over the internet now, it's no longer just being seen by small groups of people, it's everywhere!" She couldn't keep her voice down even if she tried. Perhaps if she was loud enough, her words would get through to him, "Thousands of people are watching it now. What am I supposed to do?"

He sighed, "I know that, Kate, but-"

"No. I don't think you do." She interjected, "This is ruining my life!"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, "I understand this is a difficult time for you. Teenagers do stupid things and when it comes to news, eventually something new is going to take its place, and everyone will just forget about this stupid video."

'Eventually'...Max had said something similar. _Eventually_ wasn't good enough. She needed solutions asap. The damage was already done, she needed it to be fixed _now_ , not _eventuall_ y.

"Mr. Jefferson, I..." _'_ _It feels like my entire world is crashing around me...'_ She wanted to say, but couldn't bring the words to pass her lips, "...I can't wait for later..." She whispered with a crack of her voice.

He shrugged as a frown wrinkled his features, "I'm sorry, Kate. There's just nothing immediate that I can do to help."

That sentence hit her harder than anything all day. The last words she wanted to hear...

"So you can't help me?" She croaked, on the verge of tears.

"I'm trying. But you have to understand my position..."

After this, Kate became desensitized to everything around her. She hugged her arms against her stomach to hide the icky feeling that was emanating from her gut, just before she turned around and walked through the hallway.

"Why? You don't understand mine...Nobody does...Nobody...Nobody cares at all..."

She hadn't even realized she said it out loud. But she didn't care anymore. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not the test she had studied for. Not the people in the hall. Not the rain that was pattering against her face as she found herself outside. Her life was falling apart around her and there was absolutely nothing she or anybody else could do. Everything went numb. She didn't even fully comprehend running into Mr. Madsen and what he was yelling at her for, just that it piled on the already dark feeling that welled up inside of her.

Once the security officer was gone, the tears fell with the rain. As they raced down her cheeks, Kate walked with no real destination. Lost both in thought and direction, she walked aimlessly until she found herself in front of the dorm.

 _Dear God...This feeling...This...Pain. I don't want to feel it anymore..._

She clutched her stomach.

 _I don't want to feel_ anything _anymore...I just want to go to sleep...Please...If you can't send me an angel, just...Help me..._

Thunder roared in the sky and Kate looked up to the top of the Dorm house. Wordlessly, with stuttered breaths, she walked into the dormitory and made her way towards the stairwell.

* * *

 **A/N:** **Like I said, short update, but it was necessary I think to try and get into Kate's mindset for this moment. I had to listen to some pretty sad music to try and get into the same head space** **―** ** _Thirteen Reasons Why_ was quite the help too** **―** **and even then I don't think I captured fully how one feels during this particular situation. One where you feel like you have no real way out. Depression sucks guys. And this chapter was kinda depressing to write for me, as I'm sure the next one will be as well, though not as much since we'll be in Max's shoes I suppose.**

 **Now I realize I'm not in a position for any of you to trust me with your personal shit, but I feel like I need to say this. Let's face it, life gets difficult every now and then. This is serious shit and it helps to talk about stuff sometimes. So if you ever find yourself in a situation similar to Kate's, or feel like you need to vent or talk about something, and there's no one outside in the real world you feel comfortable talking to? I'm an excellent listener!**

 **I'm sure you're all either fine or don't need help from yours truly, but I wanted to let you know my pm box is always open :)**

 **Alright!**

 **Now that the sensitive shit is out of the way: What did you guys think of the chapter? Do you think I did a decent job with Kate here or did I fail miserably? Angst isn't something I've dabbled much in writing yet...But this is actually how I imagined her being before she went for the rooftop, you know? In fact, that's why I had to include Warren in there a little bit, because I felt like most of it was just a little too dull and depressing for a full chapter.**

 **Anyway, let me know what you thought, and I'll see you guys soon!**


	18. Everyday Hero

Chapter 17: Everyday Hero

 **~Maxine~**

Warren shook the glass beaker, prudently examining the fluid as it mixed into a neon purple hue. The chemicals within sizzled for a brief moment as he twisted it in his hand, puffing out a small cloud of its color before dissipating into thin air.

"Eureka!" Warren said with glee. "She's got it!"

 _Finally! Third times the charm..._

After the insane morning Max had, Chloe had dropped her and Ethan off at school, and they had made it just as the bell for the end of first period blared. Ethan said he wanted to wash his face before class started, and coincidentally, Warren wanted help on his science test. Max was hardly the expert, but she had an inkling it was mainly an excuse for her company. As it turned out, that wasn't the case—not fully, anyway. Warren, the one she'd always thought to be a scientific smartie, had no idea what he was doing for his test. Apparently his notes had gotten demolished earlier, though he didn't say how. Just goes to show, even the smartest people have to study every now and then.

"No, _you_ got it." Max replied. She had to rewind three times for them to get the mixture right. And even then she only found the correct one because she wound up asking Ms. Grant for help. So technically, she cheated. Praise was definitely _not_ deserved.

"Don't be so modest, Doctor Caulfield..." Warren grinned.

"Oh you guys really broke the bounds of science." Brooke commented loudly from across the room. Max could swear she saw the slightest hint of stink eye. Brooke could be so snippy with her sometimes. Especially when it involved Warren.

Max ignored it and instead took out her camera. Warren posed, lifting the beaker up in one hand and giving a peace sign with the other. Even with the black eye, Warren still finds it in him to look like the happy person he is. It was refreshing...and dorky. Max smiled back as the Polaroid spat out and shook it in her hand.

"I've gotta get to class. See you later?" Max waved.

"Oh, uh, actually I'll stop by Mr. Jefferson's in a bit. I need to talk to you about something..." He informed her with a more genuine tone.

Max raised an eyebrow. She didn't see Warren so serious too often. Why couldn't they talk about it here?

"Uh, sure. I'll just meet you there then." She waved again, this time receiving one from him as well, just before she made her exit.

 _That was fun helping Warren. He's pretty cute when he's in full-on geek mode... It was strange helping_ him _out with science for a change, even if I did have to use my rewind to do it. Speaking of which, Ethan probably isn't going to be too happy about that..._

As she stepped out into the hall, a pair of hands grabbed her and she was turned to face her red-headed friend. What were the odds of that?

Ethan frowned, "I thought you weren't supposed to use your powers anymore today?"

"It's okay." She gently pushed his arms off. "I feel fine. I was just helping Warren out with a science problem, it was nothing."

"Warren?" He questioned. "I thought he was really smart at science and stuff?"

"I thought so too. I mean, I still do." She answered truthfully, "I think he just didn't prepare himself as well as he usually does."

Ethan shrugged and the two of them walked down the hall to Mr. Jefferson's together. The walk didn't last very long, however, with the sight of Mr. Jefferson and Kate conversing in front of the classroom door. They both stopped in place to view from the sidelines.

 _It's good that Kate is reaching out to someone. I bet Mr. Jefferson has had to deal with a lot of troubled students. But I'm not sure he can really do anything at this point. Unless...Was Kate telling him about remembering Nathan at the party? I told her it wouldn't look well for her, but maybe she wants to risk it anyway...I'm not sure what I'd do in her situation._

"So you can't help me?" She heard Kate say. The look on her face nearly broke Max's heart.

Mr. Jefferson responded considerately, "I'm trying. But you have to understand my position..."

Kate spun on her heel and hung her head down before walking down the hall, "Why? You don't understand mine. Nobody does...Nobody...Nobody cares..."

Max's eyes followed until she reached past the science lab and then took off after her, "Kate, wait a minute!"

Ethan stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, "Let her go, Max. She's probably going back to her room. It might be better for her to cool off."

Max turned back to Kate and waited up to the moment she turned the corner. "I guess...I'm just worried about her."

Ethan exhaled through his nose, glancing at the double doors like she was before pulling back to her, "I know. But things like this...Sometimes you just gotta work through them yourself."

"I don't know..." Max sighed. "Come on, let's get to class."

She pivoted on her feet, angling towards her photography class with Ethan close behind her. They were only five feet away when Mr. Jefferson addressed them.

"Ah, Max," He said with some forced enthusiasm, "Glad to see you're making some friends."

Max raised her eyebrows. What was he talking about? She was hanging out with...

 _Oh, right. Face-palm Max. Ethan's still new here. I guess this is the first time he has this class on his schedule._

"Mr. Jefferson, this...this is Ethan—"

"Cole." The photography professor cut her off, "I'm aware of any new arrivals I get for my classes."

"Hello, sir." Ethan offered a handshake, which Mr. Jefferson accepted after a moment of skepticism. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your curriculum. Principal Wells told me you volunteered to take me on?"

 _Strange to see Ethan act so formal..._

Retracting his hand, Mr. Jefferson nodded his head, "Yes, well, I'd hate to see a potentially promising student fall through the cracks without getting a chance to prove themselves." He gave her a pointed look, "Failing to turn in an opportunistic assignment, however, is a different story altogether."

Max turned her head to the side, sheepishly as she gripped her arm with her other hand. He was talking about the 'Everyday Heroes' contest. He was having everyone in the class submit a photo to enter, and whoever won would get to go with him on an all expenses paid trip to San Francisco, and that photo would be on display at the Zeitgeist Gallery for the world to see. Major opportunity? Fuck yes. Majorly terrifying? _Hella_ fucking yes. Her work just wasn't good enough to win something like that. Evan or Victoria (much to her chagrin) maybe, but definitely not hers.

"Now, Max, remember you still have a week to submit a photo for the Everyday Heroes contest." He waved his hand, "And with the festival this weekend, I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities to take pictures."

 _The Spirit festival is this weekend! How could I forget? It's been years since the last time I've gone, but still. It was always so much fun! Chloe and I would play those knock-a-bottle games to win the big prizes on the shelf. We never did, but William would always buy us cotton candy afterwards. The flower parade was also so beautiful to watch too._

"So that's what the contest is about, huh?" Ethan mused. Mr. Jefferson must have told him about it while she was thinking about the festival. "I should warn you now, Professor, I'm not really known for camera work..."

He chuckled lowly, "That's alright, we'll get you sorted out." He turned his attention back to Max, a concerned frown wrinkling his features, "You look worried...is everything okay?"

Max exhaled, "Between us...I'm worried about Kate Marsh. We both are." She gestured to Ethan.

He shook his head, "That's no secret." He flicked his eyes to Ethan, "Word on the street is that you got into a little confrontation with our security chief on Monday, and then again with Victoria Chase yesterday. Both on behalf of Kate, is that correct?"

"Jeez, gossip is a regular thing around here, isn't it?" He snorted, "Yeah, that's true. Mr. Madsen was all up on her face about something and Victoria was harassing her. I don't like bullies."

Max agreed, "She doesn't deserve that. She's the nicest person I know."

Mr. Jefferson scoffed, "Of course not. Victoria has her moments, and Mr. Madsen isn't the most gentle soul..." He narrowed his eyes, "Do you have proof he instigated the situation by any chance?"

Ethan shrugged, "No. Didn't really think about taking a photo at the time. I kind of just reacted, you know?"

He nodded, "I do. But if you're going to be in my class, allow me to pass on to you some wisdom. Always take the shot. My number one rule of photography." He exhales, "As for Kate Marsh, I promise this matter is being discussed by the faculty. I assume you both know about the viral video..."

Max frowned, "Kate is freaked out by all this. She can't do homework while she's being tormented on a daily basis."

Mr. Jefferson crossed his arms, "What if Kate brought this on herself? She means well, but maybe she doth protest too much...She seems like she's holding back the truth. Have you talked to her?"

 _He can't know about Nathan...Not yet. If Kate didn't tell him about it, she wasn't going to either._

"No..." She lied, "I just don't want Kate Marsh to be the next Rachel Amber..."

"Rachel Amber? What does she have to do with any of this?" He wondered.

Ethan watched her like a hawk as she spoke, "With all her "Missing Person" posters around, it's hard _not_ to think of her..."

Mr. Jefferson scowled, "Rachel was nothing like Kate." For a second, Max thought she heard some hostility in his tone and Ethan was watching _him_ rather closely now. "Principal Wells said you two were together when the fire alarm went off the other day. He was under the suspicion that you two knew something you wouldn't tell him. Care to share?"

"We told him it was nothing." Ethan answered quickly.

He laughed, "It's not common knowledge, but Principal Wells used to be in the police force in Los Angeles a long time ago. He has a good sense for this stuff."

 _Shit. Well there'd be no point in lying about it now, right?_

"We can't...talk about it right now." Max said, "We'll tell you everything as soon as we figure it out."

"I'd like to believe that Max." He admitted. "It just seems like there's a lot of drama around the two of you this week. _You_ especially." He pointed to Ethan, "Not exactly the best way to start your academic career here."

"Yeah, I'm aware." The redhead chuckled.

Before anyone could speak any further, Mr. Jefferson's cell phone rang. As he fished it out of his pocket, his expression became a little more tense.

"Excuse me." He nodded before putting the phone to his ear. "Hello? Yes? Uh...hold on." He put the phone down, "I have to take this, so just go into class you two, and I'll be there soon." He didn't say anything after that, instead he walked to the corner of the hall to speak in private. Who was he talking to?

Inside the classroom, Stella was right in front of the door, wearing her pink colored hoodie as she ogled the photos on the board. Alyssa was by the window, mesmerized by the drops of rain that was tapping against the glass. Alyssa was a strange one alright, but Max could see the appeal. At least she _could_ , before the whole twister vision came along. Now it just reminded her of that. Though, she did have a sudden urge to take a photo.

Daniel was busy working on a sketch in his notebook—as usual. Hayden and Taylor were taking photos of Dana, who was posing like a model for them. Dana could totally make it as a model if she tried. Her warm personality, smile, not to mention her body all scream that she'd be destined for it. Of course, being a natural beauty and photogenic as hell certainly helps.

Max checked behind her, realizing that Ethan was no longer following. He was still at the doorway.

"Earth to Ethan." Max joked as she approached him, "You coming in?"

He looked at her and smiled before closing the distance, "You saying this is optional?"

Max laughed, "Hardly. Just didn't think you'd find Mr. Jefferson so fascinating. Just wait until he starts his lecture."

"No, it's just. Something about him rubs me the wrong way..."

Max raised an eyebrow, curiously, "Like?"

"Like who has _facial_ hair that nice?"

 _Oh my god..._

Max shook her head, "I swear I'm going to stop taking you seriously."

Ethan only laughed as they made their way to the back where Max could see the two people she missed. They were sitting on the table where she usually does: Victoria and Nathan. They had their backs toward her, but everyone's eyes seemed to trail after them. Ethan waved to Daniel, who waved back before returning to his drawing. Juliet scanned them with a look of poison, though Dana and Hayden seemed more intrigued, or...friendly?

"Is that where you sit?" Ethan asked, noting where they were headed.

Max sighed, "Yeah."

"Okay. Let's ask them to move."

He started but Max grabbed his arm, "Uh...can we not try to start a fight here? I don't really like being the center of attention and...I don't want to bother anyone."

Ethan bobbed his head, "Kinda seems like they're here to do that already, Max. Whether you mind your own business or not, it isn't gonna stop them from trying." Max frowned. Of course he was right. "I promise, if they don't start anything, I won't." He added, likely to reassure her.

It didn't.

The pair walked around the table so the Vortex Club's king and queen could see them. Other than the bandage on Nathan's nose, both were dressed quite fashionably. With Victoria wearing her velvet blouse over a yellow floral designed shirt. For her bottoms she wore velvet leggings under a black skirt to match the shoes she was wearing. Nathan was wearing the same orange Jacket he always did, with a blue vest underneath that covered a plain white tee below that. Blue jeans and sneakers made up his lower body.

Nathan spoke first, "Here comes the mysterious Max. Disguised as a pixie hipster."

Then it was Victoria, "Along with all the other twee artists here."

"You really nailed me." Max replied sarcastically.

Victoria looked at Ethan, "And she's with her new friend: fire crotch."

 _Why do things with them always turn into insults, or threats? Why couldn't it be more like the one decent conversation I had with Victoria Monday? This is so...middle school._

Ethan smiled, "An insult like that requires confirmation, Barbie. I'm willing if you are." He winked at the end.

Both Max and Victoria scowled in disgust, "I'd rather be dead." She said.

 _Definitely would_ hate _seeing them together. I mean the idea of it is so weird. But he's just joking...Isn't he?_

Max shook the thought and glared at the both of them, "Right. You've had your fun. Can I sit at my table now?"

"Sure you can," Victoria said as she moved around her, "But the fun part comes later."

Nathan chuckled as he stood and narrowed his eyes at Max.

She shot her own glare until Ethan spoke, "Yo, Tweedledum. How 'bout you go follow Tweedledee, huh?"

Nathan looked at Ethan now, and sneered as he bumped past him to sit with Victoria.

"Assholes." They both said at the same time before breaking into a fit of laughter.

Max sat her bag down and started the routine of taking out her school supplies. Her notebook, camera, pencil case, the whole shebang. When her things were all laid out neatly, she saw Ethan doing the same thing before her eyes wandered to the window, and caught sight of Kate Marsh. It looked like she was going to the dorms.

 _Guess Ethan was right after all._

Max's eyes followed the glass further until they landed upon an incognito David Madsen, hiding behind some trees with a camera pointed at Kate.

 _Okay, why is David taking photos of Kate? This is so wrong._ And _weird..._

Ethan had a single notebook out and a pencil stationed right next to its border. He was checking a few things on his phone now, just before Warren came in through the classroom door. He did say earlier he wanted to talk. It was as good a time as any.

He walked briskly through the class and sat upon their table. _Why is everyone sitting on my table today?_ Max couldn't help but wonder.

"What up, guys." He greeted happily.

"Hey, Warren." Max replied.

"Yo." Ethan said.

Warren closed his fist on top of the table as his expression turned serious, like it was in the science lab, "So what I wanted to talk about with you before...I saw Kate earlier and she didn't really look too good. She was so pale and her eyes were puffy from crying."

Max traded looks with her two friends, "Kate has a lot on her plate..."

Warren frowned, "I could tell. I...I didn't know what to say and she didn't tell me anything..."

The last bell rang, echoing through the space of the school. "It's alright to be worried, Warren." Ethan said, "But it's like I told Max, sometimes people need some space to sort things out themselves. She'll be fine."

Warren sighed, "I wish I could agree with you, but I don't know what to do with situations like this."

Mr. Jefferson walked in, "Okay, I know you love me, but if you're not in this class, beat it." He clasped his hands together, "Everybody else, please sit down."

Warren got off the table and smiled at her, "See you later, Max." As an after thought, he waved to Ethan. Once he was gone, She could see Ethan smirking.

"What?" She asked. Why was he smiling like that?

"Nothing." He casually replied.

Mr. Jefferson continued as Dana and Nathan filed out as well, "Students, we have a _lot_ to cover today and so _little_ time as usual...I see all the usual suspects here and a not-so-usual." He nodded to Ethan. He paused at the sight of Kate's table, "Has anyone seen Kate Marsh?" When he asked, he looked in Max's general direction first.

"I think _everybody_ has seen Kate Marsh by now..." Victoria snidely remarked. Taylor laughed like a hyena next to her.

"She's...not feeling good." Alyssa covered for her.

 _I'm glad Alyssa still wants to be Kate's friend. It would do her some good to know that she's not alone through all this. If only Victoria could shut the hell up for once and awhile..._

"Sounds like you're giggling about a video gone viral." Mr. Jefferson challenged as he sat on the center table. "Maybe it involves a student, or a friend. I wonder how it would feel to have false images of yourself shot out all over the world for people to judge..." He bore his eyes onto Victoria and Taylor, "Usually, people need something to judge so they never take a good look at themselves." He inhaled, "We can thank reality TV for some of that. In the end, we can only blame ourselves for participating..."

 _Mr. Jefferson's lectures are always so captivating. He always finds a way for you think about life in some way, it's a wonder he doesn't teach any other subjects, like philosophy or something._

Max felt a vibration in her pocket and she took out her phone. It was a text from Chloe.

 _\- max  
_ _the boss with the gun  
_ _marry me_

 ** _\- Illegal in Oregon. For now._**

 _\- fuq that shit  
elope_

Max giggled quietly and began to doodle on her notepad. She drew an image of an old guy sitting on a bench, saying "What's your problem?" When she heard Mr. Jefferson say her name. Her head snapped up at attention, feeling a blush come to her cheeks. All of the stares made her uncomfortable, and she lowered head sheepishly.

"I'm sure you all read the syllabus like it was a Harry Potter book," He resumed, "So you must know today we're studying "chiaroscuro"—that beautiful word about the contrast between light and dark, the shadow play that gives photography such...visual power. It's basic yin and yang. Black and white images are effective precisely _because_ of their contrasts." He shrugged with his shoulders, "Although we don't technically "see" in monochrome—"

Zack bursted through the door, cutting him off, "Yo, some crazy shit is going down at the girls' dorm! Check it!"

Max's eyes went wide as all the students began leaving their things as they exited the room, despite Mr. Jefferson's words. Her eyes met Ethan's who was now getting up from his chair as well. Max stashed her belongings in her bag and then followed the crowd out into the hallway, with Ethan next to her. Students were rushing out of their classrooms, crashing into each other to see just what the commotion was about.

 _The girls' dorm. That's where Kate is. Did something happen to her? Is she hurt? Did Mr. Madsen do something?_

The possibilities were endless, none of them good, as they swamped her brain. They were outside now, no one seemed to mind the rain at that particular moment. Max felt pressure building up in her chest as her breathing quickened. She clutched the bottom hem of her gray hoodie and Ethan put a hand on her shoulder as they walked.

"What do you think is happening?" He asked, curiously.

"I don't know. But...I-I am really scared right now..." She admitted.

"Max, it's okay." He said, "It's probably just some stupid fight."

They arrived at the gate entrance for the dorm house, "No, this doesn't feel like that. This feels worse...it—"

A whole crowd had gathered in the courtyard and they we're all looking up. Max reciprocated and felt her voice break into maximum volume at the utter of a name.

"Kate!" She shrieked.

 _I-I have to do something to help her!_

"Oh shit..." Ethan whispered.

For a moment, Max felt like she was up there with her friend. Three stories on the edge of a building, with the gentle rain drops crashing heavily against her body...

...And when she stepped off, Max felt a piece of herself do the same.

Max's hand immediately swung up, reversing the fabric of time back as much as she could, but to her dismay, it wasn't far back enough before a teeth clenching headache decided to visit.

Her fingers grazed over the blood that had leaked from her nose. She had used her power too much today, it was no good.

"Max, you didn't rewind far enough." Ethan worriedly stated, just as Kate stepped off a second time.

Max clenched harder and fought through the pain, clinging desperately to the hope she could go far enough to bring her down. Her body moved sluggishly up the air, taking twice as long as her rewinds usually go.

 _I have to try something...I won't be able to rewind again and again...If I can't..._

 _Kate's gonna_ die _!_

Just like that, a switch had gone off in Max's brain. An overwhelming amount of pressure engulfed her body; like a fifty pound weight of force was being pressed around her skull as she held out both hands instead of one. She couldn't feel the amount of blood that was dripping then. Just that her head was going to explode any moment.

"Max..." Ethan muttered. "You...you froze time."

Max opened her closed eyes into slits. He was right. The people, the birds, even the rain had stopped in motion.

Ethan walked around and faced her, still amazed by the feat, "Your eyes...Max, they're glowing! How the fuck?"

 _Glowing!?_

"Does that matter right now?" She struggled, "We need to get up there, urgh, fast! I don't know how long I can hold this for...Agh, it hurts..."

"Alright, don't...don't worry I got you." He said before picking her off her feet. "I'll move as quick as I can okay?"

She snuggled her head onto his body, hoping that maybe some of the pain could go away, "Hurry." She managed to get out.

Ethan went as fast as he could. Each step was agonizing as it only flared the headache even more. It felt like her head was locked in a death grip. She just had to hold on a little longer. Than she could end this with a little rewind and Kate would be safe again. Once they hit the stairs, the pain grew even worse and she pressed herself against his chest.

"Hang on, Max." He whispered in her ear, "We're almost there. Keep going, you can do this!"

One minute felt like ten hours, but they finally reached the top floor. Upon arriving at the door, Ethan kicked it open and stepped out with her.

"We made it. She's still here." He huffed, gently putting her down.

As her shoes made contact with the wet tiles above, her arms dropped to her sides, and the rain began to fall once more. It hid her tears well as they trailed down her feckled face. Max felt weaker than she ever had before, all the power and energy was drained from her body. But even then, after a few hoarse breaths, she stood up and wiped the copious amount of blood that had come out of her nose.

 _Just need to rewind one more time and get her away from the edge._

Max Caulfield looked up at her desperate friend and raised her hand. But something was wrong, time glitched and didn't rewind like it normally did. It didn't do anything. Instead, the fifty weight pressure squeezed at her noggin, ringing through her ears, and she groaned from the pain.

This caught Kate's attention, "What are you guys doing here?" She asked, her voice broken.

Ethan grabbed Max by the arm and waist to prevent her from falling. At any moment, she felt like she would. She tried her rewind again, only to get the same result.

"Stop! Don't come near me!" Kate shouted.

Max turned to the redhead, "It's not working."

His eyes widened, perplexed, and she frowned deeply.

 _It won't work...I don't have any power. I don't think Ethan's powers are gonna help much here either. We're gonna have to do this ourselves._

"Both of you, seriously, don't come near me. I _will_ jump." She threatened.

Max moved to the side so that she was facing her directly, "Okay, okay. We're right here." She was gonna have to move up herself. If Kate saw both of them getting closer, she would jump without hesitation. Max waved her hand downwards at Ethan, telling him to stay put. "Kate, please..." She spoke again.

The rain had soaked Kate's clothes, her pale skin clearly visible through the white button up she was wearing. The contrast on her blue cardigan made it incredibly easy to see the red around her eyes. The sadness behind them...the look of someone who believed they had nothing left to lose.

"Oh Max, I know you want to help me." She said with pained sincerity, "I love that you helped me with Victoria...But it doesn't matter now. _Nothing_ matters."

Max stepped forward, " _You_ matter. And not just to me."

"I do want to believe that..."

"Ethan is up here too." She gestured her hand to him, "He stepped up to David and Victoria for you, remember?"

Kate frowned, "And then refused to answer a single one of my texts or phone calls. He's just fake like everyone else!"

Ethan shook his head, Max only barely heard his words, "No. No, I...my...my phone was..." He grew quiet.

Max closed her eyes briefly. She was going to have to get through to her alone. If she didn't choose her next words carefully... "Kate, your life is still yours. And we can get through this together...Let me help. Like I helped by erasing all that crap people wrote on your room slate."

"I'm glad to hear that you worry about me..." Kate admitted, "That...makes me feel better..."

She brought a hand up to her chest, "Of course I worry. You're my friend, Kate."

Kate gripped the sides of her gray skirt, "I did feel better talking to you on the phone. I feel like you really listen...Even when no one else ever did."

Max took a shallow breath, "Kate, please trust me. Come stand by us, okay? I can help you now... _We_ can. I _know_ it." She took another small step, "This morning I even erased the web-link to the video...Victoria wrote it on the shower room mirror, but I got rid of it before anyone else could see it."

"That didn't stop everyone from seeing it though." Kate replied bitterly, "How can I trust you? What about this morning when I needed help? I asked you what I should do, and you told me to do _nothing_!"

Max grimaced at her tone. Maybe she should have chosen her words more carefully that morning, but if they had gone to the police right then, the circumstances wouldn't have made things end in their favor. But Kate wouldn't understand that. Her mind was clouded by negativity and easy answers. Things like this...there are never any easy answers. Especially not the one she had in mind.

Max steeled herself, "Kate, we couldn't go to them without any evidence. Right now, I'm gathering proof that Nathan Prescott drugged you. And you're not the only victim." She explained, "There are others counting on us—on _you_. So you have to help me take him down and get to the bottom of it all!"

"Nathan Prescott?" She croaked, just before nodding slowly, "That...that makes sense...He's a scumbag. You have proof now?"

Max shook her head, "Soon. Then straight to the police. Think of it like we're cleansing Blackwell..."

Kate smiled, which Max realized was one of the sweetest things she had seen, "You _do_ have my back, Max. That's the first time I've felt hopeful in a while..."

Max stepped forward a bit more. She was so close now...Just a little further.

"Good. We all need to have each other's backs." Carefully, she offered her hand, "So I want you to come with me now...Please...You don't have to do this..."

She sobbed, "You don't understand. My life is falling apart around me! Max, I'm in a nightmare and I can't wake _up_...Unless...I put myself to sleep." She scowled, "Then everybody at Blackwell can post pics of my body...I'm already on the internet forever. No wonder they call it a "web"—nothing can ever get out. Like my video..." Kate lowered her head, "I wish I could go back in time and erase everything..."

 _Goddamn irony. I wish I could do the same, Kate. Nothing would make me happier right now..._

"I won't pretend like I know what you're going through." Max started, "But you're my friend, Kate. And I will always be here for you. When I see you like this. In all this pain...it...it hurts me...I can't stand seeing you like this." She placed a palm on her chest, "Kate, this is our chance to beat the bullies. Together we can take them down for good. That's the only way we can win against them."

"Can we really, Max?" She asked, "I don't believe in miracles anymore either. Even with all the good I tried to do for everyone here, after the video got out, they all stopped caring. Even the teachers! They're all liars and hypocrites..."

"That's true!" Ethan shouted over the sound of the rain, "This school _sucks_. It's students _suck_. It's faculty _sucks_ , everything about it _sucks!_ But that's why you're so important, Kate. When we first met, you told me: 'accomplishment only comes through hardship, and if you stay the course, someone will eventually thank you for it...'" He chuckled, "You are the _only_ good thing about Blackwell, Kate. Its _one_ redeeming quality."

Max smiled at his words, whilst Kate seemed unsure. She was gonna play off of that, "He's right, Kate. _I_ believe in miracles now, part of that reason is because of you. I didn't have anyone to talk to here before you came along. Not really. I would have still been alone _today_ if you hadn't then...You _saved_ me, Kate."

She held her hand out, "Now let me save _you_."

Kate traded glances with the both of them and bowed her head. Her shoulders twitched as she began to laugh and cry at once, "I think you're both full of crap..."

Max held her breath, hoping for her to utter the sweet words she wanted to hear.

Kate chinned up...and smiled, "But...I'll come with you. You're my friends."

"Forever." Max affirmed, closing the distance as she offered a hand once more, "Can we hug on it?"

Kate Marsh stared at it hesitantly for a few seconds, but when her hand finally came in contact with her's, Max pulled her in, and Kate fell to the ground beside her.

"I'm sorry...sorry..." She sobbed.

Max chuckled and cried with her, "What are you talking about? You saved me from talking in class!"

She wrapped her arms around her in comfort, doing her best to soothe her as much as herself. Ethan stood next to them, but Max's only focus was the dear friend locked in her bear hug.

Cold, wet, and tired.

But alive.

* * *

 **A/N** **: After the next chapter, the rest of Act 1 is original content so I am sooooo looking forward to that :)**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day!**


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